Beyond the Sea
by DaCherry
Summary: Bella and Edward meet while both are active duty in the navy and headed for a deployment. When they get back, they go their separate ways. What happens when their paths cross 7 years later? **Short Chapters**
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Since this is the beginning, it will (hopefully) be the longest AN I do **

**The title of this was suggested to me by Mylisssa over at ADF- after reading the lyrics-I agreed wholeheartedly. Thanks to Linds-the bestest BETA ever. Thanks also to my twin in Texas-for the encouragement.**

**If you've read anything else I've written, you know I write things based on my real life. Don't hesitate to ask what's real or not-I don't mind in the least. **

**Blanket Disclaimer: This work is based off of Stephanie Meyer's characters. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Beyond the Sea**

**Somewhere beyond the sea  
somewhere waiting for me  
my lover stands on golden sands  
and watches the ships that go sailin'**

_**Prologue**_

When I graduated High School, I had no real direction I wanted to head in, so I decided to forego college and just get a job. After a few years of bartending and waiting tables, I got fed up with never having enough money to do what I wanted to do, so I took a look into the military. I decided to join the navy. I spent eight brutal weeks in boot camp and another ten weeks learning my new navy job. I left Great Lakes, Illinois, and headed to my first duty station, an aircraft carrier in Mayport Florida.

The day I arrived to the carrier, a girl named Tanya met me and showed me around. She and I instantly connected and became inseparable. She's technically my boss since she outranks me, but we don't let that affect our friendship. The sad thing about making friends at a duty station; people were always moving on, whether back to being a civilian or to another duty station. Tanya had decided not to reenlist once her tour was over so as soon as the ship got back from its upcoming six months out, she would be getting out of the navy and returning to Chicago.

_**Mayport, Florida 7 years ago**_

Tanya and I leaned into the windows on the bridge to watch the flight crew unload boxes. The whole ship was getting ready to go out for forty-five days of sea trials, which are area drills that an aircraft carrier does prior to a six month deployment. We were scheduled to leave for Europe and Asia a few months after our sea trials. The normal crew size of a carrier stationed in port is about thirty five hundred. When we go out to sea f, we need additional personnel. By the time the flight crews, marines and SEAL teams are loaded up, it holds over five thousand.

Tanya giggled and elbowed me. "Bella, look at that one. He has nice hair."

I turned to where she was pointing and laughed along with her. There stood a tall man in a yellow shirt, directing aircraft around the flight deck. He was due for a haircut as his reddish brown hair looked almost too long.

"He has an interesting hair color. Maybe I should get it the next time I do highlights." I said.

Tanya nodded at me and went back to looking at the men. She had a habit of hooking up with whoever wouldn't be stationed with her. This way she didn't have to invest anything into it. She'd been hurt pretty badly by a man a few years back.

I looked out the window one more time before nudging Tanya. "I'm out of here, chicky. I have a date with Sam again."

"Are things heating up? You sure are spending a lot of time together." Tanya wiggled her eyebrows and laughed.

"He's nice to me so why not spend my time with him? I'll see you tomorrow!" I left the bridge and headed back to our berthing to pack up for the day. A berthing is a space in the bowels of the ship where the crew sleeps that can hold different amounts of people

I changed out of my coveralls and back into what was known as civilian clothes, jeans and a t-shirt, grabbed my purse and headed to cross the quarterdeck and hike to my truck. I wasn't sure why, but the parking lot for the aircraft carrier was about a mile away from the ship. I climbed into my truck and headed home to freshen up before my date that night.

**A/N: Love it/Hate it? Please review- **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks to Linds-the bestest BETA ever. Thanks also to my twin in Texas-for the encouragement.**

**If you've read anything else I've written, you know I write things based on my real life. Don't hesitate to ask what's real or not-I don't mind in the least. **

**Blanket Disclaimer: This work is based off of Stephanie Meyer's characters. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**Beyond the Sea**

**Somewhere beyond the sea  
somewhere waiting for me  
my lover stands on golden sands  
and watches the ships that go sailin'**

_Chapter 1_

_Sea Trials, 3 weeks later- St Maarteen, Virgin Islands Port Call _

The ship was currently coming to anchor outside the harbor at St Maarteen. I was on the Helm literally driving the ship, but barely moving it in small increments in order to drop the anchor chain and let enough of it out to sustain us. The ship would be there for three days, just long enough for the entire crew to get at least one day out in the Virgin Islands. I was lucky enough to have two days off while we were there.

Once the ship was sufficiently steady and the Captain had called them off the Navigation Detail, I headed to my berthing to shower, throw on some shorts and toss a bathing suit into a backpack. Tanya, Kate and I had decided to meet some of the guys at the beach for some fun in the sun. I met the girls on the quarterdeck and we all signed out for the day. Even though we were all over the age of eighteen, the Navy had strict curfew times that depended on your rank. Tanya outranked Kate andmeI so she got to stay out until one in the morning if she wanted to. My curfew was midnight and Kate's was eleven pm.

The three of us decided to hit the beach first and then some bars. We also needed to find someone to escort us back to the ship in time to not get into trouble. There was a buddy system that you had to use or you wouldn't be making port visits for awhile.

Once we were settled on a pretty vacant stretch of beach with drinks in hand, Kate started to scan for boys to flirt with. She and Tanya were incorrigible. She spotted Seth, one of the guys that worked in the Navigation department with us and waved him over. He was part of a larger group that none of us recognized, but he came over to say hi anyway.

Tanya nudged me and semi pointed to the group Seth was hanging out with. "Hey, that's the guy from the flight deck from last month" she whispered.

Sure enough, the tall guy with the longish brown-red hair was looking over at us. I could tell he had a very nice chest from where I was sitting and he had a tattoo on his arm that I couldn't quite see from where I was sitting. "He's cute, T. Are you gunning for him to be your toy for the six months?" I asked.

"Maybe, B." Tanya smiled, "He is an air wing guy so therefore a confirmed short timer." She and I laughed and joined Kate and Seth's conversation. After some good natured ribbing, Seth rejoined his friends leaving the girls to fend for themselves. After a few hours, we made the executive decision to change back into normal clothes and hit the bar for some margaritas.

Several hours later, a very drunk Kate and an even drunker me made our way back to the ship. Seth and the guy from the flight deck joined us to make sure we got there safely. As the four of us got closer to the ferry that would take us back to the ship, I stumbled in my drunken stupor. Luckily flight guy caught my arm.

"Thanks…dude"I slurred at him."HEY! What's your name anyway? I've seen you a couple of times now."

"It's Edward." He said as he steered me onto the ferry.

"I'm Bella." I said with a big grin, and shook his hand.

_Back to Port from Sea Trials, 2 weeks later_

The ship arrived back in Mayport with a three week time frame before we left again for a six months deployment. This gave the whole crew time to get our affairs in order. I spent the time setting everything up for electronic bill pay and storing what I needed to. Sam, my boyfriend, offered to keep my truck at his house and to check in on my apartment every once in a while for me. I made sure he had a key and my mom's phone number just in case.

I could tell there was a lot on his mind on my short visit home, but I didn't find out until we went out to dinner for my last meal in Florida. Right there as dessert was brought to their table, he grabbed my hand and kissed it.

"Bella, I know that we haven't been together long at all, but I do know that I love you. Even though the timing is bad, I really want you to marry me." He pulled a ring out of his pocket and waited for my answer.

I hesitated, looking from his face, down to the ring and back to his face. Why wasn't this an easy decision for me? I took a deep breath, slightly shrugged and said, "Sure." He looked relieved as he slid the ring on my finger, but it left me really confused.

Sam paid and drove me back to the ship. The night before the ship pulls out; all personnel are required to be on board by eight pm. This is to ensure that not only the crew is there, but also that they will be ready to go in the morning.

I lugged my very full seabag down the ladder and into my berthing. There were other girls down here, but no one was in my quad yet. Our berthing could hold about forty girls, but we would get underway with about thirty. There were always fewer women than men out to sea which made good odds, if you were Tanya.

The racks were three high and if you were lucky, you had the middle one or the bottom one as they were the easiest to get in and out of. They were also called coffin lockers because of their size. The mattress was about three inches thick and only about five feet tall. They were close to two feet wide as well. Needless to say, you can't be a back or stomach sleeper when you're in the navy. The mattress section lifted up to reveal a storage space that could be used.

We also had a stand up locker similar to what we used in gym class. This was used for anything that had to be on a hangar, which in my case were all my dress uniforms. Even though they we were technically scheduled to be gone for six months, every crew member had to carry all uniform items with them.

Tanya soon joined me in unpacking. As she slept opposite me, she and I had spent many a night chatting across bunks. Right as she entered our cube, her eyes zoomed in on the ring and immediately grabbed my hand.

"Well, little B. What do we have here? Did young Sam make his move?" She smiled.

"Yeah, "I shrugged out of her grip and continued to unpack.

"Oh, Bella why did you say 'yes' if you didn't want to?" Tanya grabbed my hands once more.

I shrugged again and walked over to the other side to give myself a little space.

"Ok, we won't talk about it. BUT if you don't want to marry him, don't" With that, Tanya turned to her own locker and left me alone.

_Getting Underway for Deployment_

Getting underway is a big production on an aircraft carrier. It takes every person on board and we all have specific jobs. This time, I was helping out the plot. This means that I stand outside and tell Tanya where we're positioned in reference to something on land. Tanya then plots it on the chart. It's a navigation tool to keep us on track and out of the shallows.

Once the ship is out of the port, the navigation detail ends and the first day underway begins. The first thing the ship does is have a Man Overboard drill. This ensures that key personnel know exactly where to go so they can get a personnel report ASAP to the Captain. My job during this is to stay on the bridge as the navigation department can be used to use a spotlight on the water if needed.

After the drill, Tanya went over the watch schedule for our department. As we're undermanned, every person will stand watch. The watch is a four hour shift on the bridge where we take the ships position, speed, and heading and log it all on the chart and the Deck Log. The Ship's Deck Log is a classified document that gets sent out to the Navy Archive in Washington DC every month.

Dinner time arrived and Tanya and I headed to eat. There are two mess decks on a carrier so people can eat twenty three hours a day. This makes sense as all departments work different hours. The forward ones have things like breakfast all day as well as hamburgers and hot dogs. The back ones have the real meals. Depending on how quickly you need to eat and get back to work would make the decision of where to eat for you.

We decided to eat on the back decks as we had over an hour until Tanya had to be on watch. After dinner, I was going to head to my rack and try to nap until it was time for me to get up for my watch. I had the midwatch, so I needed to be on the bridge by 11:45pm and would mark the new day in the log. After I got off watch at three thirty in the morning, I would have to be back at work by eight am. Our department would usually work anywhere from a sixteen to an eighteen hour day.

_Flight Ops_

On our second day out to sea, the ship started flight ops. This entails a symphony of people working together. There is an 'Air Boss' that sits one flight above the bridge in the Primary Flight Deck or the tower and his job is air traffic control. He knows where all the aircraft are in relationship to the ship at all times. He coordinates with the bridge in order to get the winds in the right direction to land or recover the aircraft. The person on the bridge can be one of two people, the Captain or the Executive Officer as they have overall responsibility for the ship. The next important person is known as the Conning Officer. He gives the order for the Helm and Speed in order to get the ship pointed in the right direction and the right amount of wind speed across the flight deck. During flight ops there is a myriad of colored shirts running around on the actual flight deck.

Yellow shirts are overall aircraft handlers. They direct the aircraft into positions to launch and to the elevators that remove them from the flight deck. Green shirts are the maintenance personnel and the arresting gear personnel. They keep the planes and the recovery gear in perfect running condition. The white shirts are watching everything as they are the overall safety and medical personnel on the flight deck. The red shirts take care of any ordnance and crash and salvage in case a plane goes down. The blue shirts run the elevators to move the aircraft and relay messages via the phone system. The purple shirts fill the aircrafts with fuel, and the brown shirts prepare the aircraft for flight.

The first time I ever saw flight ops, it looked as if a bowl of M&M's had exploded on the deck. It's amazing to see how all these people can work together to launch a plane, and watching flight ops at night is even better.

I was on the bridge watching the ballet of plane movements too engrossed to notice Tanya sneak up behind me.

"Looking for your new friend with the brown, red crazy hair?" She giggled and pinched my side.

"Tanya, take a look out there and tell me which one he is." We both laughed knowing how hard it would be to spot Edward among all the other yellow shirts out there. Especially as they all had helmets on.

_Port Visits, and going home_

The rest of the deployment was divided between flight ops and port visits. There were days when the crew felt as if you wanted to pull your hair out due to the stress levels, and lack of sleep. We were lucky this time as we were able to spend time in Spain, Israel, France, Bahrain, Greece and Dubai. All of the countries were beautiful but if I had my choice, I'd go back to Greece sometime.

While I usually hung out with Tanya and Kate during port stops, every once in awhile Edward would join us . He and I talked a lot and became really good friends. We seemed to have so much in common and he was very easy to talk to.

Our friendship only got stronger and when Edward wasn't working on the flight deck, he would visit me on the bridge. A lot of the time, we would eat together if we had time in our schedules. Although we were spending a lot of time together, it didn't progress any further. First off, I was engaged to Sam. Secondly, through various talks with Edward, I learned he had a live in girlfriend in Virginia where he was home based. Instead, he and I enjoyed a very platonic friendship.

Arriving back home after being away for six months is surreal. There are thousands of people waiting for the ship to dock, most holding some kind of Welcome Home sign. They pipe patriotic music through the sound system and there is a buzzing energy in everyone for the final stretch. It even brings tears to some of the crew members' eyes.

Edward and I met up in the Hangar Bay to exchange email addresses and phone numbers. I really liked him and hoped we could break tradition and actually keep in touch. Since Edward had a few more days on the ship, we all decided to head out to celebrate Tanya's release from service.

Sam met us on the pier, and while he should have been a sight for sore eyes, he really wasn't. I let him grab me and kiss me anyway. He was swinging me around when he must have noticed Edward close behind. He instantly tensed and put me down, then cocked his head in Edward's direction.

"Sam, this is Edward. I emailed you about him while I was gone. And you remember Tanya." I reminded him.

Sam stretched his hand out to shake Edwards, appearing to be friendly but he had an odd look on his face. It was obvious to me he felt some jealousy.

"Edward." Sam stated, barely hiding his contempt. I lightly smacked him in the side.

"Sam. Where are you parked?" Edward said ignoring Sam's hostility.

The four of us walked to Sam's car and hopped in. We had a great dinner at a local dive bar complete with too many pitchers of beer. Sam and I dropped Edward back at the ship, Tanya at her apartment and then we drove back to Sam's place.

Unfortunately, that was the last time Edward and I had any contact.

**A/N: Love it/Hate it? Please review- **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I've been ordered by my BETA to post twice a week due to how short the chapters are. (I love you Linds!)I'm about 4 weeks ahead, so this is going to be ok. This leaves posting on Mon + Fri unless circumstances don't allow it.**

**Thanks to everyone that has put this story on alert-there seem to be a lot of Bell in Uniform lovers and as a former Navy person, I appreciate it. If you've reviewed, I've responded. If FF screwed up and I didn't get your review, I apologize.**

**If you've read anything else I've written you know I write things based on my real life. Don't hesitate to ask what's real or not-I don't mind in the least. **

**Disclaimer will apply throughout story and I won't mention it again.**

**Beyond the Sea**

**Somewhere beyond the sea  
somewhere waiting for me  
my lover stands on golden sands  
and watches the ships that go sailin'**

_**Chapter 4**_

_**Present Time**_

I took one more sip of my beer and looked around the crowded bar. I had no idea why I'd agreed to come to a known navy bar. Even though I had just been released from active duty, I had never played into the navy's stereotype of its women.

I tossed my long dark hair over my shoulder as I scanned the bar looking for my friends, Mike, Jessica, Lauren and Kate. Lauren was easy enough to spot as she was talking to some guy at the bar. Her body language suggested this wasn't a conquest, merely someone she knew. Mike and Jessica must be making out in a corner somewhere. They were the typical non-couple couple. It was obvious to everyone around that they wanted to be together, but they only acted on it when they'd been drinking. That left Kate probably hiding on the dance floor.

I finished my beer and stood up. Time to blow this popsicle stand, I thought. I pushed my way to the bar to tell Lauren I was leaving. Lauren was very busy trying to hook up with the guy she was talking to. I decided to ignore her actions and tapped her on the shoulder to get her attention. As Lauren turned to me, her companion looked me up and down. When I leaned into Lauren to tell her goodnight, I could feel the mystery man looking me up and down again and I noticed when his eyes landed on my wedding band.

Even though my divorce from Sam would be final in a few days, I still wore the ring out in bars to help ward off anyone that may try to hit on me. My friends called it 'avoidance', but I was ready to be single again. If you took into account the time that Sam and I hadn't been living under the same roof, I had already been single for over a year.

Lauren hugged me goodbye and I left the bar. As I had only had two beers in four hours, I was okay to drive the five miles to the house I used to share with Sam. I was leaving for the West Coast in two days.

I decided after signing the divorce papers that a change in atmosphere was needed, so I called my Detailer and asked to transfer from Mayport Florida to San Diego California as a Government Contractor.

I crawled in bed making mental notes of what was left to do before I left.

The next day was a haze of final packing and a last night dinner with my Florida friends. Mike and I had met while in boot camp and got reacquainted at our first duty station together, which was an aircraft carrier. Even though Mike worked in the bowels of the ship, and I worked on the bridge we had formed a close bond.

Mike was kind of the reason I had met and married Sam. Sam and Mike were distantly related and Sam and I had hit it off. After about a year of dating, we had gotten married at the courthouse and embarked on a hell filled 5 years together before Sam moved out for good. Sam was a civilian and couldn't deal with me being gone for six or more months at a time. It didn't seem to matter when we had been dating, but once married it drove him to cheat on me. At least he was honest about it, and moved out. Since we didn't own anything together the divorce was really smooth and easy.

The movers arrived bright and early on my scheduled departure day to pack up the few belongings I didn't want to leave for Sam. The movers were efficient and cognizant of things that were fragile. Once they were on their way, I stood in the empty house thinking about the past five years.

Florida had been a great thing for me as well as joining the navy had been. While on active duty, I had been all over Europe and advanced in rank pretty fast. I was lucky as not all jobs in the navy can move forward as quickly, but I knew my stuff. Although I loved being active duty, I didn't want to go out to sea anymore. Once I got to San Diego, I would be teaching navigation and celestial navigation to active duty personnel.

I took another long look around the living room, letting my fingers dance over the pictures of the past that littered the mantle. Happier times, happier people, I thought.

I picked up the biggest frame in the bunch and smiled at how radiant we had looked on our wedding day. I placed it carefully back into place and stepped away. I walked to the front door, picked up my suitcase and walked out to the car. I turned to face the house once more.

"Good-Bye Sam and Bella!" I yelled. "Hello, Bella!"

Laughing, I tossed my suitcase into the backseat and climbed into the driver's side of the car. I set my iPod on my 'Café' playlist, backed out of the driveway and headed to my new life.

**A/N: Love it/Hate it? Please review- **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thanks to everyone that has put this story on alert-. If you've reviewed, I've responded. If FF screwed up and I didn't get your review, I apologize.**

**If you've read anything else I've written you know I write things based on my real life. Don't hesitate to ask what's real or not-I don't mind in the least. **

**Beyond the Sea**

**Somewhere beyond the sea  
somewhere waiting for me  
my lover stands on golden sands  
and watches the ships that go sailin'**

_**Chapter 3**_

Four hours into the drive, I stopped for gas, food , stretching and a phone call to Tanya. Tanya had gotten fed up with the Chicago cold and moved to San Diego three years ago. She took her family money and opened up a small insurance firm. She had graciously offered me a place to stay until I get on my feet.

I drank a coffee while waiting for Tanya's assistant to answer the phone.

"Denali Inc, how may I help you_? " _The pleasant voice said.

"Hi Alice, its Bella. Is Tanya available?"

"Sorry Bella, she and Rose are still in their meeting. Can I pass her a message for you?"

"Tell her I have no intentions of stopping until I get there" I laughed.

"Sure thing. Drive safe and call us when you gas up so we know you're doing ok."

I hung up the phone, got back into the car and continued driving.

True to my word, I pulled into Tanya's driveway about 27 hours after I started my trek across the country. I got out of the car and stretched my back, hearing it pop. As soon as I'd straightened up, I was accosted by Tanya in a huge hug.

"You're a sight for sore eyes my friend. I'm so glad you're here!" Tanya squeezed me hard. "What comes out of the car tonight?"

I popped the trunk, "Just this, T. I'll grab the bag out of the back seat. The rest can wait until tomorrow. Right now I want a beer and a shower, in that order." She laughed and I followed her into the house.

Tanya stopped in the living room and set my stuff down on the chair. "This is the living room." She said.

"Never would have guessed, T. Where's the beer?" I demanded and followed Tanya into the kitchen. She grabbed a beer and handed it to me.

"What's mine is yours, and I'm stocked." Tanya motioned to the full fridge. "Tour?" She asked.

"But of course, darling." I said, and took a sip of beer. I followed her down a hall on the far side of the kitchen.

"This is my room." Tanya ushered me into a huge room complete with glass doors that opened into the backyard. "There's another set of doors at the end of your hallway, for guests. The patio is covered and there's a pool out there too."

I took a look around Tanya's room. It was beautiful. "You've done so much with this place since you bought it Tanya. I'm so proud of you." I leaned over to hug her again.

"Our rooms are far enough away from each other that overnight guests won't be heard." Tanya nudged me in the ribs. "Let me show you the rest."

We walked back into the kitchen and Tanya opened the door to the garage. "Washer/Dryer and pool table are out there, so no cars in the garage."

"Pool table? I haven't played in years!" I screamed.

"We play all the time, either here or at the neighborhood bar. You'll get good again in no time." Tanya sounded confident but I was never good at the game.

"Do you have darts?" I asked hopefully. I had played on a dart league for years in Mayport.

"Not yet, but that can be one of the things we buy for you. Deal?"

"Hell yea!" I yelled.

Tanya closed the door to the garage and routed us back to the living room. "All the remotes are on the coffee table. The stereo is in the cabinet over there, next to my cd's and movies. Knock yourself out with any of it."

I went and opened the cabinet to see Tanya's collection had only gotten a lot larger over the years. "Gosh, T you have so many movies!" I finished her beer and set the bottle down on a coaster.

"Do you need another one?" Tanya asked.

"Nope, on with the tour, please." I smiled

We walked down the hall where Tanya pointed out the guest bath and bedroom that I wouldn't be using. She paused at the third door before opening it.

"This is the home office that I don't use much. As you can see, there's plenty of room for you to set up in here. You did claim your desk in the divorce right?" Tanya asked

"It's coming tomorrow with the rest of what I wanted to keep." I replied. "You know I wouldn't leave that asshat my dad's desk, silly. "

Tanya pushed me back out the door and led me to the end of the hall. She opened the drapes to show the other set of glass doors that led to the back yard, then turned slightly to her left and opened another door.

"This is your room and bath for as long as you want to stay here."

I gasped and pushed past her. The room was _huge_! I could already picture how I wanted it arranged and was mentally taking notes of what I needed to buy.

I walked further in to see the bathroom had a hotel style double sink and a marble shower stall. There was also a dividing door for the toilet and a large sunken Jacuzzi tub on the far wall. I turned to Tanya with tears in my eyes.

"It's beautiful." I whispered.

**A/N: Love it/Hate it? Please review- **


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thanks to everyone that has put this story on alert-. If you've reviewed, I've responded. If FF screwed up and I didn't get your review, I apologize. Thanks to my Fab BETA Linds! **

**If you've read anything else I've written you know I write things based on my real life. Don't hesitate to ask what's real or not-I don't mind in the least. **

**Chapter 3 was accidentally titled Ch 5, I fixed it and reloaded the document-sorry for ANY confusion.**

**Beyond the Sea**

**Somewhere beyond the sea  
somewhere waiting for me  
my lover stands on golden sands  
and watches the ships that go sailin'**

_**Chapter 4**_

The next morning, I decided to cook breakfast for Tanya as a thank you. Just as I was breaking eggs, the doorbell rang and Tanya ran to let Rose and Alice in. The three of them entered the kitchen on the hunt for coffee.

"I'm making omelets for T and me, did you guys want one?" I asked while whisking the eggs.

"Of course we do, Bella." Rose answered.

"Thanks Bella!" Alice responded." How was the rest of your trip out here?"

"It was pretty good, Alice. I was really happy to pull in the driveway though." I laughed and started cooking the food.

Once everything was done, we all gathered around the table to enjoy a leisurely breakfast while waiting for the moving truck to arrive.

"How much stuff are we unloading?" Rose asked.

"Not that much, why? Are you on a time frame?" Tanya answered.

"Actually, I'm wondering if we need manly strength or not." Rose laughed.

"There's only three semi heavy pieces, I think between the four of us we can handle it." I replied.

"Good", Alice snickered, "Then we can drink earlier!"

We all giggled at that and finished eating. Once we were done, Tanya cleared the table as the truck parked in front of the house.

The next few hours went by fast as we unloaded and sorted the few things I brought with me. Rose and Alice took to setting up my home office and Tanya helped out by unpacking my clothes.

I followed behind them all making adjustments. "Do you guys have enough energy to hit a furniture store for bedroom stuff?" I yelled at them from my bathroom. Various affirmative answers were heard. "Great than while we're out, we can pick up beverages and food for tonight." Another chorus of yes was heard.

Three hours later, we all headed to find me a bed and some new stuff for the bedroom. First stop was a mattress store. I bounced on quite a few before choosing what I felt was perfect. They had a nice iron headboard that I bought too.

From there, we headed to Target to get the basics. We split up, Rose and Alice heading to pick up cleaning supplies, Tanya and I to the sheets and towels. We converged at the checkout and headed to the grocery store.

Tanya jumped to the liquor store for wine and beer while Rose, Alice and I picked up frozen pizzas and appetizers.

"Should we rent a movie?" Alice asked.

"Tanya has so many and on demand, so let's just do it that way." Rose replied.

"Fine with me." I said.

We met Tanya at the car and headed back home. As soon as we entered, we cracked open beers and chips. Tanya put the appetizers in to heat and Rose and I unloaded everything into my room. Alice double checked on the delivery of my new bed for the next day.

Soon we were all laughing and eating in the living room.

"When do you start work, Bella?" Alice asked.

"They gave me two weeks to settle in. I plan on going in to see my work area at the end of next week." I answered.

"What are you going to do with all that time off?" Rose inquired.

"I'm going to learn my neighborhood, of course. I jog, so I need to plan a route. "I took a bite of my pizza. "I need it to be about three miles. "

"There's a dog park about two blocks over, B" Tanya said, "There's paths over there if you want to stay off the road."

"Perfect, thanks."

The rest of the night passed in a blur of drinking and girl talk. It was a great way to spend my first official day at my new house. I was looking forward to getting into my groove.

**A/N: Love it/Hate it? Please review- **


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Thanks to everyone that has put this story on alert-. If you've reviewed, I've responded. If FF screwed up and I didn't get your review, I apologize. Thanks to my Fab BETA Linds! **

**If you've read anything else I've written you know I write things based on my real life. Don't hesitate to ask what's real or not-I don't mind in the least. **

**Beyond the Sea**

**Somewhere beyond the sea  
somewhere waiting for me  
my lover stands on golden sands  
and watches the ships that go sailin'**

_Chapter 5_

A few days later, I was settled and ready to plot out a jogging route. I decided to drive to the park Tanya had mentioned first. I needed to see how long their paths were; I wanted to keep in shape, not kill myself walking to and from as well. I parked in the designated area noticing a lot of open spaces. I could hear dogs yelping as I got closer to the grassy part. There were kids playing on the playground on one side and the dogs on the other.

I walked directly to the sign at the front of the park. It had all the trails marked by difficulty and length. I was happy to note there was one about a mile long. This way I could walk to the park, jog the path and walk home as my cool down. Tomorrow I'd try it out and see if it was going to work for me. As for the rest of today, I wanted to get curtains and some stuff for my home office, so I was off to Target.

Before I knew it, I had curtains in my room, another set of sheets for my bed and dinner in the oven. I was sitting on the living room floor mingling my DVD's with Tanya's when she got home from work.

"I could get used to this, B." She said as she came into the living room.

"What's that?" I said as I looked up from the floor.

"Dinner ready for me, of course." She laughed. "What'd you do today?"

"I checked out that park. I think one of the paths will work, so tomorrow I'm trying it out. Oh, and dinner will be ready in ten minutes." I said to her retreating back. I got up to check on the chicken as she headed to her room to shed her work clothes.

Tanya and I chatted through dinner and cleaning the kitchen. I decided to head to bed early as I needed to start getting used to my new routine.

The alarm scared me the next morning. It had only been a few weeks of sleeping in, but my body was used to it. I stretched and yawned on my way to my dresser. I threw on my jogging clothes, grabbed my sneakers and my iPod and walked to the kitchen for some water.

I strapped my iPod to my bicep and headed out the door. It was quiet this early in the morning and a nice time to walk. I saw various neighbors walking their dogs or leaving their driveways. I waved to the few I had met and continued to the park. I headed to the path I wanted to try and picked up my pace.

Soon I was in a steady rhythm that almost matched the beat of my 'work it girl' playlist. The path was well taken care of although there were signs along the side warning you to stay on the path due to rattlesnakes. I reached the end of the path and slowed my jog to a walk and headed for home.

I reached the sidewalk and stopped deciding to drink some water before I continued. I had just put the bottle to my lips when something knocked into me from behind. A few things happened all at once, something crashed to the ground behind me, I fell forward, dropping my water and breaking my fall with my hands and a large voice boomed out, "Penn! Teller! Bad dogs!"

Before I could scream out some choice curse words, a large hand descended in front of my face. "Here, let me help you." I grabbed onto the hand, and pulled myself up, looking into a familiar set of green eyes.

"Edward?" "Bella?" We said at the same time then we both laughed.

"What are you doing here, Bella?" He asked leaning in to hug me. "I haven't seen you in since we said good bye in Florida. Are you still active duty?"

"I got out a little while ago, became a contactor and moved here to teach navigation. What are you doing here?" I leaned down to pet the two beagles Edward had with him.

"I was stationed here three years ago, got out and decided to stay. You must live in the neighborhood?" He asked while leaning down to pick up the box that had fallen when the dogs crashed into my legs.

"I live about five blocks over, on Ivy." I replied and bent down to help him with the box. I stood back up pretty quickly when I noticed three vibrators and some cock rings on the ground next to the box. Edward shoved them in fast, but I still caught a glance.

"I've gotta run, Edward. It was nice to see you!" I yelled out over my shoulder as I ran for my car.

"Bella wait…" I heard him cry out but I pretended not to hear him, got in my car and took off for home.

Tanya laughed her ass off when I relayed the incident.

"You just left him there with a box of sex toys and two dogs staring after you?" She wheezed out.

"Yes T. It was embarrassing. I had a crush on him back then, and to run into him while he's picking up toys for him and his woman was a letdown." I said quietly.

"Sorry, B" She said, hugged me and left me to wallow.

**A/N: Love it/Hate it? Please review- **


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Thanks to everyone that has put this story on alert-. If you've reviewed, I've responded. If FF screwed up and I didn't get your review, I apologize. Thanks to my Fab BETA Linds! **

**If you've read anything else I've written you know I write things based on my real life. Don't hesitate to ask what's real or not-I don't mind in the least. **

**Beyond the Sea**

**Somewhere beyond the sea  
somewhere waiting for me  
my lover stands on golden sands  
and watches the ships that go sailin'**

_**Chapter 6**_

The next week passed in a blur as I was preparing to start work. I drove down to get my ID picture taken and the parking pass for my car as well as driving around the base to get familiar with the layout. I found the staff parking area and my building. The dry side of the base, as it was called, had a few barracks but the bulk of the base was for training. There were four buildings that housed classrooms.

I was still getting over my meeting with Edward and decided that busying myself with new things would be the way to go. I didn't avoid the park, but with my work schedule, I decided to run in the evening. I tried to convince myself it wasn't to avoid Edward. It still hurt to think of him involved with someone else. He and I had been so close once upon a time, that I had always held a torch for him. I wondered if he was still with Chelsea, the girl he had been with all those years ago. I tortured myself with thoughts of them together, it was easy enough to do as I had seen a picture of her once before. Hell, for all I knew they were married now.

My first day of work came and I was excited to get there. I checked in at the front desk and was escorted to my floor. I was greeted by the current department head and shown to my office. I shared it with one other instructor that taught an electronic navigation class. I wanted to sit in on it and learn as well.

By the end of the week, I had met two new people that I wouldn't mind getting together with off base. Peter worked down the hall from me and taught administration and Claire taught across the street in the electronics department. We exchanged numbers and made plans to meet up for beers over the weekend.

I begged Tanya to join us, as I had a feeling Claire and Peter were together. She hesitated, but finally caved in after I gave her my best pout. Besides she'd lived here longer and would have an idea of a great place to hang out. She even insisted on driving me so I could drink a lot. It was a very nice offer as I felt like I needed to drown some sorrows.

I headed to Claire's office on Friday afternoon to solidify the plans for Saturday night. She knew where the bar was that Tanya recommended and offered to call Peter with the details. She said she would meet us there as she lived on the other side of town. I left her office happy for the first time in over a week.

Saturday morning I decided to jog around the neighborhood instead of the park. Once I got home I regretted that decision. Although there were sidewalks to run on, there was too much traffic to cross back and forth the way I had wanted to.

I threw in a load of laundry and settled in to watch bad TV and snooze on the couch before I would need to get ready to go. I woke up to Tanya flicking my ear.

"What the fuck, T?" I grumbled.

"It's almost five. Did you want to eat out or in?" She asked.

"Five? I must have been tired. "I stretched and yawned, but got off the couch. "Is there a diner nearby this bar? I'm craving breakfast for dinner."

"Of course there is. This is a navy and college town. There are a ton of diners. Get in the shower and we can head out." She smacked me on my ass as I headed for my room. I turned on my "PartyDown" playlist and hopped into the shower. I took my time with my routine, enjoying the hot water and double shower heads. If there had been enough time, one of those showerheads and I would have gotten better acquainted as it had been far too long since I'd had a release.

Tanya was staring into my closet when I came out of the bathroom. "May I help you?" I asked her.

"Helping you dress, kiddo." She answered, not even looking at me.

"Been dressing myself for years, missy. Step away from the closet." I opened my dresser and pulled out my favorite lace cheekies and matching bra. I snapped Tanya with my towel as I removed it. One thing about serving your country, you're no longer shy about nakedness around the same sex.

"Bitch! And here I was going to help you out, big time!" She ranted, then laughed but exited my room.

I pulled on my favorite jeans and though about what she'd said. "What do you mean?" I yelled after her. She either ignored me or didn't hear me as I got no reply. I debated between my Wonder Woman or Batgirl shirt for about two minutes before finally deciding on the Batgirl one; she was rarer. I pulled out my blow dryer and got to work on my hair. Once that was dry, light make up was all I had left to do.

I headed to the living room with my purple chuck taylors in hand, to see Tanya sitting on the couch, texting. She startled when I sat down next to her.

"Shit, B. You scared me. Are you about ready? I'm hungry" She patted her stomach.

"Let me tie these and I'm all set" I tied up my shoes, grabbed my purse and followed Tanya out to her car.

After dining on a short stack at IHOP, we headed across the street to a bar called The Whistle Stop. It was dimly lit, had a ton of tables and a stage for a band. We went to the bar and Tanya ordered us beers while I looked around for Peter and Claire. I nudged her when I saw them at a table on the other side of the bar.

We sat down and I made the introductions as we settled in for some conversation. Peter was the only one originally from California. I was correct in the assumption that Claire and Peter had something going on, they drove together and kept leaning into each other. It was kind of cute but annoying as it helped to remind me how lonely I was these days.

Once the band came on, the bar got crowded and very loud, so all conversation stopped. When the band took their break, I headed to the ladies room and take a look in my purse for an aspirin. I didn't have any and didn't feel like sitting through any more loud music. I decided to tell Tanya I was ready to go which sucked as I didn't get past a second beer.

When I got back to the table, Tanya wasn't there so I bid goodnight to Peter and Claire, promising to do a night out again in the future. I looked around and finally saw Tanya at the bar talking to someone. He was pretty tall and they seemed to be having a great conversation.

_Perfect_, I thought. _Time to really test out how quiet my room will be if she brings a dude home. _I approached the bar and tapped her on the elbow so as not to interrupt her conversation. Her eyes got wide when she saw me there and she turned to include me at the bar as the guy she was talking to turned the other direction to chat with someone else.

"Hey, I have a headache and I'm ready to go. If you're headed with him, I can call a cab." I offered.

She spit her sip of beer out at me and laughed. "Yea, do not plan on taking this guy home. Let me introduce you." She pushed me in between her and the guy and tapped his arm. I dropped my jaw when he started to turn and I saw it was Edward.

I leaned into her, "What the fuck, T. Did you invite him or something?"

"No, silly. He was here with Emmett and I saw him when I came to get you another beer."

"Hi Bella." Edward said, keeping his eyes low.

"Hi Edward, how are you?" I tried to smile, but it fell flat. Tanya intervened to introduce me to Edward's friend.

"B, this is Emmett. He dates Rose from my office." She explained.

I leaned over to shake his hand," Nice to meet you." I turned back to Tanya,"Are you ready to go?" I asked while trying to convey how uncomfortable I was.

Edward leaned into me."Can I please get your number this time? I've been kicking myself for over a week."

"Ummmm…" I hesitated.

"Please Bella; I would really like a chance to explain what you saw at the park. I realize dinner would be too intimate, how about lunch? I can make us sandwiches." He waggled his eyebrows at me.

"Lunch would be fine" Tanya answered for me.

"I can make my own decisions." I slapped her arm. "Let's start with coffee."

Edward looked disappointed but agreed. "Here's my number, call me." He handed me a business card, finished his beer and walked away from us.

"What the hell was that Tanya?" I was pissed. "I'm leaving." I pretty much ran out of the bar. She caught up to me at the car where I was trying not to hyperventilate.

"Bella, are you ok?" She came over and wrapped her arm around my shoulders.

"I'm not sure, T." I climbed into the unlocked the car and faced out the window.

Tanya got in and turned on the radio, she let me stew the entire road home. As we pulled into the driveway, she turned to me and said,"Don't let how weird you felt the other day influence your decisions today. I remember how well you two got along when we would hit ports. It was almost as if you were already a couple. So when he calls B, and he will trust me, you _will _go meet him if I have to drive you myself."

She got out of the car and walked into the house, leaving me in the driveway to think.

**A/N: Love it/Hate it? Please review-**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Thanks to everyone that has put this story on alert-. If you've reviewed, I've responded. If FF screwed up and I didn't get your review, I apologize. Thanks to my Fab BETA Linds! **

**If you've read anything else I've written you know I write things based on my real life. Don't hesitate to ask what's real or not-I don't mind in the least. **

**The Holiday has me a day off- sorry faithful readers **

**Beyond the Sea**

**Somewhere beyond the sea  
somewhere waiting for me  
my lover stands on golden sands  
and watches the ships that go sailin'**

_**Chapter 7**_

I made it until Wednesday before Tanya lit into me for not calling Edward. She's lucky I didn't punch her when she threatened to call him herself. Since I love her, I went to my room and grabbed his card out of my night stand. I know weird place, but for some reason I wanted his info in my naughty drawer.

I turned the card over and over in my hand before I finally looked at it. Once I saw it, I rethought my bright idea about calling him. All it said was _Shameless Inc_ in big pink letters in the middle of the card, a number on the bottom right hand corner and a website on the bottom left. I high tailed it to the den for my laptop, grabbed it off my desk and ran into the living room yelling for Tanya as I ran.

"What in the ever loving fuck are you screaming about?" Tanya demanded as she came into the living room.

"This." I said sheepishly and handed her Edward's card.

"What _is_ this?" She looked at it, than at me.

"It's the card Edward gave me. His name isn't even on it. I'm gonna look up the website." I opened the laptop and typed in the web address listed on the card. A dark pink background loaded. There was a fishnet motif across the top of the page. Other than that, there were buttons listing various adult toys and items on the left hand side, with the Shameless Inc logo in the center of the page.

"What the hell is this?" I asked Tanya as she leaned over me.

"This is what Emmett and Rose have been talking about." She said. "Rose told me Emmett had a friend in the business that gave them deals on their adult items. She must have meant Edward."

"Oh." I said timidly as realization ran over me. "He must have been going to send something out when his dogs accosted me in the park." I put the laptop on the coffee table and went to grab a beer.

"Bella, are you alright?" Tanya asked, picking up the laptop.

I didn't answer, choosing to down my beer in about two gulps. I grabbed another one and went back into the living room. Tanya was clicking all over the page to see what was available, but I just sat there zoning out. She finally realized that I had been sitting next to her and set the laptop to the side.

"Talk, now." She demanded.

"Fine." I took a drink of beer." You know that Sam cheated on me, right?" I didn't look at her when I asked, fiddling with the label on my beer instead.

"Yes, I do. It's the reason the relationship didn't work out."

"Did you know that it really killed my self esteem?" I met Tanya's eyes but looked down pretty quickly.

"Is this a self esteem issue, Bella? Because I can tell you he was honestly very happy to have run into you in the park that day." She insisted.

"Did you know that I haven't dated anyone since Sam and I split? I didn't want to while active duty because I know how hard it is to be in a relationship and be gone so much." I took a deep breath and continued. "Then after we split, I had a few guys ask, but I wasn't into it."

"That makes sense, B. You and Sam were together for a long time. It's always hard when a relationship ends, no matter what or who ends it. So, what's causing the frown lines?"

"If he works anywhere near the adult industry, his standards for women must be way different than I can offer him." I rushed out. "I mean what if we start dating, and he's always working with porn stars with big tits. I can't handle that T."

She took a deep breath before answering me." Do you honestly think that he's changed that much since you last saw him?"

"I.."

"Do you remember what his girlfriend looked like?" She nudged my arm. "She had short dark hair and was on the thin side. What makes you think he all of a sudden wants to be with a dyed blonde with large fake boobs? "

"I.."

"Eventually you're going to have to attempt a date, so you can get over this issue." She grabbed my chin so I'd look at her." You're fucking fabulous and anyone that doesn't see that misses out on something spectacular."

"I…"

"Call him, B or I will and give him your number. " She got off the couch and headed back to her room.

I sat there for ten minutes, staring at my phone, before deciding to call him. I picked up his card and procrastinated by saving his info first. This way I'll know it's him when he calls me. Or at least that was my excuse.

I got up and got another beer after that just to put it off a bit longer. Tanya must have heard me in the kitchen because she yelled down the hall at me. I could exactly hear what she said but it sounded along the lines of 'biggest chicken shit'.

I sighed, walked back to the couch and actually pulled his name up from my contact list. My thumb hovered over the 'send' key before gritting my teeth and pushing it in.

**A/N: Love it/Hate it? Please review-**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Thanks to everyone that has put this story on alert-. If you've reviewed, I've responded. If FF screwed up and I didn't get your review, I apologize. Thanks to my Fab BETA Linds! **

**If you've read anything else I've written you know I write things based on my real life. Don't hesitate to ask what's real or not-I don't mind in the least. **

**Beyond the Sea**

**Somewhere beyond the sea  
somewhere waiting for me  
my lover stands on golden sands  
and watches the ships that go sailin'**

_**Chapter 8**_

I nervously chewed on my finger while I waited for Edward to answer his phone. After three rings and a bloody hangnail, his voicemail picked up. I took a breath and left a shaky message. "It's Bella. Call me when you get a chance." I hated how nervous I sounded.

I hung up and turned my phone off, I didn't want any 'is he going to call or not' anxiety. I turned off my laptop, grabbed my empty beer bottle and headed to bed.

I didn't sleep very well and found myself waking up to every noise. It was irrational since I knew my phone was off. I lay in bed watching the time tick away on the clock and eventually reached out to turn off the alarm five minutes before it beeped. After sleep walking through my shower, I dressed for work, leaving my hair to air dry. Today would be a three coffee day or I wouldn't survive.

The morning passed in a blur of grading papers and answering emails. My stomach growled reminding me that I hadn't eaten anything yet today. I grabbed my phone to check the time and groaned when I realized I never turned it back on. I pressed the power button then went down the hall to ask Claire if she wanted anything from the deli across the street, but she wasn't at her desk.

I grabbed my purse and disregarded the blinking message, putting the phone in my pocket. I'd check it when I got back. I could feel the phone burning a hole against my thigh as I took the stairs out to the parking lot. I hit the deli for a salad and quickly hoofed it back to my office.

I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, sat down, opened my salad and hit the message button on my phone. It was a text from Edward.

_I figured you'd be too busy at work to answer the phone. Call or text when you get a chance. E_

I smiled and ate my salad while I decided on what to text back to him. I figured simple would work the best and typed out a quick message before I chickened out.

_Busy at work, will you be around after 4? B_

I clicked open my email and pretended to work while waiting to hear back from him. After ten more minutes, I had to leave my office to teach for the rest of the afternoon.

The remaining two hours of my day flew by in a haze of lecture and questions. Sometimes people don't readily pick up the whole time/speed/distance math that is prevalent to ship navigation. I headed across the hall and back to my desk, shaking off the rest of my day. Today's run would be a welcome activity to clear my mind. I noticed Edward hadn't responded and decided to try and not let it bother me, since Tanya was convinced he really did want to talk to me and reconnect.

I was leaving the house for my run when Tanya pulled in the driveway.

"Chickadee-did you finally call him last night? I got tired of trying to eavesdrop." She said while climbing out of her car.

"I called, left a message, he texted, I texted back. Ball's in his court and I can't help it if I'm nervous about this, ok." I leaned in to pinch her, then kissed her cheek and headed to my car. "Going for a run, back soon. Oh and I don't feel like cooking, so maybe pizza?" I shut my door and drove to the park.

I headed to the grass to stretch and laughed at my reaction to Edward. I didn't even really get a chance to see his dogs and I love dogs. I sighed, turned on my ipod and headed for the trails. I was bound and determined to clear my mind of everything but the pounding of my feet.

Forty-five minutes later I was on my cool down stretches and ready to go home. I was over tired now and ready for food, shower and bed. I glanced around before hopping in my car on the off chance Edward was here, but he wasn't.

I headed straight to the shower when I got home, this would take preference over food. After hopping into Hello Kitty lounge pants and a Rocky Horror T-shirt, I was ready to eat some of the pizza Tanya ordered. I threw two pieces on my plate and joined her on the couch to watch mindless TV.

"How was your run?" She asked.

"Good, thanks. Maybe you should come with me sometime." I suggested.

"Unless someone is chasing me, I don't need to run, B." She laughed and took another bite of food.

I realized I forgot my water in my room, and ran back to grab it only for my phone to be vibrating with a message. I clicked it open and it was another text from Edward.

_I swear I'm not avoiding you, had a staff meeting run late. Coffee on Sat? E_

I laughed and replied _I'm sure you're not. Coffee is fine, where? Time? B_

I brought my phone back out to the living room with me so I could respond if needed.

"That is a huge grin missy. What happened back there?"

"He texted, I answered." I shrugged, but inside I was fan girl screaming. "We're doing coffee on Saturday; he's going to let me know where."

"Probably Friendly Grounds, it's a halfway point and he lives sort of close, right?" She asked.

"He said he was close to the park, so not sure where he is. Guess I'll find out on Saturday, huh?"

"Will you need me for moral support? I can help you dress again."

"I'm sure my standard outfit of jeans and tee will be just fine. Thanks though. Really, for everything." I nudged her and she smiled over her food.

"You'd do it for me, B. If you're gonna get a man, I'm gonna need one too. Any single men at your work?" She batted her lashes.

"Let me work on that for you, my dear." I laughed and finished my food before yawning." I'm beat, T. I'll see you tomorrow." I headed to my room and brushed my teeth. My phone buzzed again as I was crawling under my covers. I hopped out of bed to grab it off my dresser, anxious to see his reply.

_Friendly Grounds/1pm? E_

_Perfect. See you then B_

I'm pretty sure I smiled the whole time I slept.

**A/N: Love it/Hate it? Please review-**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Thanks to everyone that has put this story on alert-. If you've reviewed, I've responded. If FF screwed up and I didn't get your review, I apologize. Thanks to my Fab BETA Linds! **

**If you've read anything else I've written you know I write things based on my real life. Don't hesitate to ask what's real or not-I don't mind in the least. **

**Beyond the Sea**

**Somewhere beyond the sea  
somewhere waiting for me  
my lover stands on golden sands  
and watches the ships that go sailin'**

_**Chapter 9**_

I was on pins and needles the rest of the week waiting for my Saturday coffee date. By Friday afternoon, Tanya was ready to throttle me.

"B, if you don't calm the fuck down, I'm going to have to do something drastic!" She yelled at me.

"What are you talking about?" I had to yell a little as well as I was out doing laundry and throwing darts.

She stormed into the garage. "This!" She screeched and shoved a piece of paper at me.

I looked at it and blushed, "Oh." I said softly. I was holding a page full of conversation ideas. "What if we don't get along anymore?" I asked.

Tanya steered me over to the pool table and pushed me to sit on it. "You have nothing to worry about, I promise. " She kissed my cheek and left the garage."But, if I have to call Emmett over to sit on you, I will." She tossed out over her shoulder.

I hadn't met Emmett yet, but I had seen pictures of him. The thought of him sitting on me made me shudder. I made a mental note to not piss off Tanya. The dryer went off and I brought my laundry into the living room to chill for a bit.

Tanya laughed when she saw my face. "I won't really have him sit on you, B. I just want you to be aware that you're stressing yourself out for no reason." She handed me a stick of gum as I looked at her questioningly.

"You need a stress relief and since you don't smoke anymore, and I'm not going to let you drink tonight. Chew this, I won't even yell at you for snapping it."

I put the gum in my mouth and started to blow bubbles. Believe it or not, it did calm me down a little bit.

"Thanks, T" I went back to folding laundry and watching bad TV until I was too tired to keep my eyes open.

I was surprised when I woke up after 9am the next morning. I really thought I would have problems sleeping. I guess I had worked myself up so much that my defense mechanism kicked in.

I got out of bed foregoing a shower until after I ate and woke up a little bit. I stumbled to the kitchen looking for coffee. Just as I grabbed my mug, my hand was slapped by my annoying roommate.

"T, death wish?"

"Do you really need coffee now if you're only going to have it later?" She teased.

I bat at her hands until she let me have my mug." I'll kill you where you stand, T." I joked."You know my usual is 3 cups, let me have it." I whined, pouring the sweet nectar of the gods into my mug and sipping it slowly. "Waffles?" I offered.

"Yummy, B. Do we have any whipped cream?" Tanya shuffled to the fridge and grabbed out the ingredients as well as whipped cream. I heated the waffle iron and mixed the batter. As soon as I had two huge waffles ready she and I sat down to devour breakfast.

Tanya cleaned up while I went to shower and gather my clothing thoughts. When I shut off the water, I could hear someone in my closet, again.

"Dammit, Tanya I can dress myself" I yelled from the bathroom.

"I know you can, just helping you out." She must have been leaving my room as her voice got lower as she spoke. I laughed when I saw my Wonder Woman shirt on the bed, and decided to trust Tanya this time on her wardrobe choice.

I pulled on some underthings and my jeans and shirt before deciding the red chuck taylors went the best with my tee. I grabbed my keys and purse off the dresser and headed to the kitchen for water. Tanya met me at the door.

"Be you." She advised and I headed to my car. I climbed in and loaded my 'KickAss' playlist to help ease my nerves. It took me fifteen minutes to get to the coffee shop and another few to park, but I was still running early.

I decided to sit in my car and give myself a pep talk. I started with the basic, 'you're awesome' and finished with the Stuart Smalley, 'you're good enough and people like you'. I cracked myself up and decided early or not, I was going in. I could always grab a seat for us.

I headed across the street and up to the counter before even looking to see if Edward was there. As soon as I ordered my coffee, I felt someone come up right behind me. I flinched, ready to knock someone if they touched me, but relaxed when I heard Edward's voice.

"Hey, I already have a table, so as soon as you get your java, come outside." By the time I turned to answer him, he was already headed back out the door. I waited only a few more minutes for my coffee and joined Edward at a small round table at the side of the building.

I sat down across from him and smiled." Hi, how are you?"

"I'm great today!" He smiled, "I'm really glad you met me. " He squeezed my hand, but didn't keep his anywhere near me.

We were both quiet for a little bit, before I realized one of us would need to speak, just as I was about to speak up, he did.

"So Bella, what have you been up to the last seven years?"

"Everything." I said and launched into a semi detailed account of my time married, my decision to leave active duty and stay working with the government and my request to move to San Diego. I finished up with my living situation.

"Well, I think I have those interesting tidbits beat. Would you like another coffee?" I nodded my head and watched him stroll to the counter. I couldn't wait to hear where his life had taken him.

**A/N: Love it/Hate it? Please review-**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Thanks to everyone that has put this story on alert-. If you've reviewed, I've responded. If FF screwed up and I didn't get your review, I apologize. Thanks to my Fab BETA Linds! **

**If you've read anything else I've written you know I write things based on my real life. Don't hesitate to ask what's real or not-I don't mind in the least. **

**You get this chapter early as I will be in Vegas until Monday and won't be able to do my normal post. You're welcome LOL**

**Beyond the Sea**

**Somewhere beyond the sea  
somewhere waiting for me  
my lover stands on golden sands  
and watches the ships that go sailin'**

_**Chapter 10**_

Edward came back over holding our coffees, so I slid his chair out for him using my foot.

"Thanks." He handed me a cup and sat down. "So where were we? "

"You were getting ready to spill all your juicy secrets." I batted my eyes.

"I don't know about juicy." He laughed." Two days after I last saw you, I returned home to an empty apartment, most of my shit gone, and a note that said _I'll explain later. _" He took a sip of coffee then looked into my eyes to gauge my reaction.

"Are you kidding me?" I was so pissed at this chick for him.

"The best part B? I had bought her an engagement ring when we had the Dubai port visit. I thought I wanted to _marry _this girl. Needless to say, I left quite a few nasty voicemails for her, but it took her over two weeks to get back to me. She decided she didn't want to be with someone that was gone a lot of the time and left, moving in with a friend of hers. In hindsight it was for the best, but at the time I was really pissed." He took another sip of his coffee.

"Because I'm a guy and an idiot, I didn't handle it too well. I drank way too much and got into trouble at work. It took my sister to knock sense into me. Of course, if she had been any later, I would have been demoted or even kicked out. It was her idea to re-up and transfer to North Island, so I did. I spent a lot of time alone, reevaluating things"

"Wow, Edward. I don't even know what to say." He reached over and squeezed my hand, but let his linger a bit this time. It was a warm reassuring feeling.

"Nutshell, after another three years, I decided I didn't want to be in the Navy anymore. So-I started working on my degree. When I got out I started my own business."

"What kind of business? " My curiosity had certainly been piqued.

"Like you didn't look at the site." He teased.

"I did, but I'd like to hear about it from you."

"Well, as you may or may not know there's a _huge _market for adult items. I decided to do some research and learned that you can get these things pretty cheap from various wholesale outlets. So applied for e business license and designed the website while waiting for it to come through. It started pretty small, but in the last year, I converted the garage into a workable office and inventory place."

"Is there that big of a market?"

He choked on his coffee, "Haven't you ever been in an adult store."

I thought over my answer before giving it to him. Be honest or not. I decided on honestly."No, but I have bought online before and don't ask me what, Mr."

"Fair enough." He agreed. "Anytime you want to look through what I have at the house, let me know." He glanced at his watch and cringed. "I really need to go, I have a conference call in about thirty minutes and I have to do a little bit of prep."

"Oh, ok." I stood up and walked to the trash can. "I really enjoyed catching up, Edward."

"Me too, Bella. I'll call you and make plans for another coffee, or maybe even lunch." He leaned over and kissed my cheek almost absentmindedly before darting across the street to a silver car.

I watched him pull away then headed to my own car. I needed to talk to Tanya before I over-analyzed this encounter.

**A/N: Love it? Hate it? Please review**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Thanks to everyone that has put this story on alert-. If you've reviewed, I've responded. If FF screwed up and I didn't get your review, I apologize. Thanks to my Fab BETA Linds! **

**If you've read anything else I've written you know I write things based on my real life. Don't hesitate to ask what's real or not-I don't mind in the least. **

**Beyond the Sea**

**Somewhere beyond the sea  
somewhere waiting for me  
my lover stands on golden sands  
and watches the ships that go sailin'**

_**Chapter 11**_

I called Tanya as soon as I got in to my car; she was with Alice at Chevy's Mexican Eatery and invited me to join them for afternoon appetizers and margaritas. There was no hesitation in my answer of yes, so I pulled into traffic and headed to the mall.

They were seated at a table in the bar with a pitcher and menus open. I grabbed the stool next to Alice and sat down.

"You look nervous, B. "Tanya noticed.

"Yea, kinda feel it too." I grabbed a menu.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Alice offered.

"Yes, but let's order first. Are we splitting?"

"Splitting." They said together, cracking me up.

The waiter came over and we placed our order for food. As soon as he vacated the table, Alice nudged me. "Speak." She demanded.

"It seemed to go ok." I shrugged.

Tanya looked me in the eyes until I had to turn away.

"Alright already. I was disappointed that he had to run out of there after thirty minutes, I was sad that he didn't make plans to see me again before he left and a little miffed that he kissed my cheek good bye." I grabbed the pitcher and poured myself a drink.

"Why?" Alice asked. "What was so wrong with any of that? You haven't seen him in years, he has a business to run and he made lip to skin contact."

"I don't know." I sighed.

"I do. I think you fell in love with him all those years ago and now that you've run into each other again, you're ready for him to be a part of your life. I don't think you were aware of it until you sat down with him today, and I know damn well you are impatient." Tanya huffed.

"Hmm… you might be onto something T." I stroked my pretend beard while she and Alice laughed.

"Enough boy talk, let's eat." Alice said as our food was placed in front of us.

Two hours later, we had decided to see a movie in order to sober up, so we walked to the other side of the mall. We didn't care which one, so we picked the next one showing. It was some gruesome horror film, but since we were all buzzed, we laughed when we shouldn't have.

By the time I was headed home, I wasn't thinking about Edward at all. Almost.

On Sunday, I hung around the house playing on the internet and watching reruns of Law & Order. I had semi convinced myself and Tanya that I wasn't waiting for Edward to call. By nine o'clock I gave up on the pretense and went to bed.

Monday was Monday and let's just leave it at that.

Tuesday was a busy day. We had three new classes starting and one that was finishing. It was one of those days where your head is about to explode. It was a good day for me as I didn't have time to focus on that fact that Edward still hadn't called me.

I decided I really needed a run once I got home, so I dashed in and out of the house pretty fast. The run did what I intended. Which is to say, I had to concentrate on the semi rough terrain, so no day dreaming about a certain man that hadn't called as of yet.

I got home and jumped in the shower, noticing Tanya was out again. She must have met a man; because this is the most she's been gone since I moved in. I ate a light dinner and settled in bed with my TV remote. I fell asleep with it on.

By Wednesday, I'd had enough. At lunch, I ran to the deli for a BLT, and made the decision to call him when I got back to the office. His voicemail picked up, so I left a message for him. It wasn't overly nice, but what the hell-why hadn't he called to make another coffee date? Then because I had let the situation get to me, I turned off my phone. A bit juvenile, but I needed to do it or I'd drive myself batty.

I busied myself the rest of Wednesday afternoon with test grading. I decided to turn my phone back on while I walked to my car. It pinged with a few messages and emails, so as soon as I got into the car, I checked them. Tanya had emailed me an invitation to her company's family picnic, and she had also left me a text and voicemail. None of it was an emergency so I skipped ahead to my next voicemail which was from Edward.

_Sorry I'm just now getting back to you. I had every intention of calling you on Monday which would be the normal two day man call back thing to do, but work took me out of town last minute. I got back at one today and had a voicemail from you. You sound pissed, so call me when you get a chance, please. I want to make you lunch this weekend, and no that's NOT a euphemism for sex. _

I laughed after listening to it, than felt bad for being nasty. I would make it up to him when I returned his call.

**A/N: Love it? Hate it? Please review**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Thanks to everyone that has put this story on alert-. If you've reviewed, I've responded. If FF screwed up and I didn't get your review, I apologize. Thanks to my Fab BETA Linds! **

**If you've read anything else I've written you know I write things based on my real life. Don't hesitate to ask what's real or not-I don't mind in the least. **

**Beyond the Sea**

**Somewhere beyond the sea  
somewhere waiting for me  
my lover stands on golden sands  
and watches the ships that go sailin'**

_**Chapter 12**_

I could barely contain myself until I had a free few minutes to call Edward. It made me act agitated with the students, so I pulled myself out of the lab and asked a colleague to cover it for me. I grabbed my phone off my desk and headed outside to have a little bit of privacy. I jabbed the elevator button a few hundred times, but of course that never works to bring it any quicker.

I finally reached the lobby and ran out the front doors looking for an empty area. The picnic tables had no one around, so I landed on one of them and hit Edward's number. I took a few deep breaths to calm myself before he answered. I didn't want him to know how excited I was.

Of course, disappointment set in when I heard his stupid voicemail pick up. I took another deep breath so my frustration wouldn't come through in my voice. I left a short and sweet message.

"Hey phone tag, you're it." I hung up the phone, sighed and texted Tanya for sanity's sake.

_Had to leave VM again : (_

Her response was instantaneous.

_Chill chicky _

I laughed and headed back to my office.

The rest of the day went better than it started. Class ended early so I hit the grocery store before going home to change for my run. I just left the bags on the kitchen table since none of it was perishable and was back out the door in no time flat.

One I got back home from my run, I showered and decided to scrounge for dinner since Tanya wasn't home. My message alert was blinking, so I grabbed that to check it. No surprise it was a text from Edward stating simply: Please call.

I put a pot pie in the oven and did exactly that, swallowing my anxiety. He answered on the first ring.

"Hello?"

"You took me by surprise; I thought I'd get voicemail again."

"Hi Bella!" I relaxed as he sounded happy to hear from me.

"So…what's going on?" I asked, heading to the fridge to grab a beer.

"Not much. I got called to a convention unexpectedly and cell reception sucked so I couldn't call you. I am sorry about that." He sounded contrite so I gave him a break.

"Sure you did..." I taunted and he laughed.

"So I was thinking are you ready to do a lunch or are we still on coffee?"

"Decisions…decisions…." I trailed off, took a sip of beer and thought quickly. "Can we do coffee again? Not sure if I'm up to going to your house yet."

"We can meet for lunch somewhere if you'd rather, Bella."

"Coffee is fine, this time. We're still getting to know each other. If this goes well on Saturday, we can maybe do lunch on Sunday."

"Perfect, same place and time?"

"Works for me."

"See you then, thanks for calling me back Bella."

"Bye." I hung up and did a dance around the kitchen right as the oven timer went off. I took my dinner out and texted Tanya before sitting to eat.

_We talked. Coffee again on Sat. _

She must have had her phone glued in her hand as she answered me pretty fast.

_Good. Home late _

I ate my dinner and headed to watch TV in bed all while grinning like the Cheshire cat.

**A/N: Love it? Hate it? Please review**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Thanks to everyone that has put this story on alert-. If you've reviewed, I've responded. If FF screwed up and I didn't get your review, I apologize. Thanks to my Fab BETA Linds! **

**If you've read anything else I've written you know I write things based on my real life. Don't hesitate to ask what's real or not-I don't mind in the least. **

**Beyond the Sea**

**Somewhere beyond the sea  
somewhere waiting for me  
my lover stands on golden sands  
and watches the ships that go sailin'**

_**Chapter 13**_

This coffee date went much better than the last one, although Edward left after about forty five minutes. He said he had work to do. This time we did make plans for lunch the following day, but he barely grazed his lips across my forehead again. It bugged me enough to track Tanya down and demand she meet me at the house.

I drive home in a stupor of over analyzing as usual. I was happy to see that Tanya beat me home. She was in the living room with Rose.

"B, we're in here with wine!" Tanya shouted at me, so I detoured for a glass and dropped into the chair.

"You look like someone ate the last cookie, Bella." Rose noticed.

I sighed and shrugged, but Tanya wasn't having it.

"What the hell happened?" She demanded.

"Nothing and I think that's the problem." I filled my goblet with the pinot they had opened. When I put the bottle back down, they were both staring at me.

"Didn't you guys talk at all?" Rose asked.

"We did, but it felt rushed like last time. I mean, why invite me for coffee then hightail it after thirty minutes."

"Did he tell you why he had to go?" Tanya leaned over and grabbed the wine.

"Something about work." I mumbled.

"Did you not believe him?" This from Rose as she played grab ass with the wine.

"I don't know. I swear we have this connection, or at least we did years ago. Now that we're trying to reconnect, he cuts it short. I don't get it. Why invite me for coffee knowing you need to leave?"

"Look, B. I know you have 'man' issues, but if you really want to be with him, you're going to have to talk to him about all of this." Tanya stated.

"But..." I tried to interrupt her, but she wasn't having it.

"Listen to me. He liked you then, he likes you now. You've both had a lot of shit happen relationship wise in the past seven years. Some of this will take time and you both have to be willing to let some of that old baggage go."

"Yeah." Rose said and we all laughed.

"At least he invited me for lunch tomorrow before he left, but he barely kissed me." I whined.

"I see what this is. You're horny." Tanya nudged Rose and they cackled like witches.

"Of _course I_ am. It's been longer than I care to count. You want? " I waved the empty wine bottle at them and got up to get another one.

"You need a plan." Rose said.

"Plan for what?" Tanya inquired.

"To make him yours, of course." She said it like it was common knowledge. "Emmett knows him and we hang out on occasion. I can do recon for you." She was giggling by the time she got to the word 'recon'.

"I'll think about it, Rose. Thanks. If I don't feel any better after lunch tomorrow, I might put that into action." My phone buzzed with a text so I opened it to see it was from Edward.

_We never chose time/place for lunch. Ideas?_

"He's asking about lunch. Where should we go?" I looked to them as they'd been here much longer than I had.

"Pete's diner on 5th. It's casual, inexpensive and non-threatening." Rose suggested and Tanya nodded her consent.

I texted the place to Edward, and he responded with a Smiley face and a 1pm.

"So lunch it is." I lifted my glass and toasted the girls before downing my wine and heading to my room. I needed a nap after all that alcohol.

**A/N: Love it? Hate it? Please review**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Thanks to everyone that has put this story on alert-. If you've reviewed, I've responded. If FF screwed up and I didn't get your review, I apologize. Thanks to my Fab BETA Linds! **

**If you've read anything else I've written you know I write things based on my real life. Don't hesitate to ask what's real or not-I don't mind in the least. **

**Happy Comic Con Week!**

**Beyond the Sea**

**Somewhere beyond the sea  
somewhere waiting for me  
my lover stands on golden sands  
and watches the ships that go sailin'**

_**Chapter 14**_

I beat Edward to the diner, so I got a booth in the back and ordered a coffee. He found me staring at the menu before the waitress had even returned with my drink.

"Hi Bella." He said, leaning in and kissing my forehead. He must have noticed my surprise, as he backed away pretty fast.

"What?" I asked.

"You seemed to pull back that's all. Sorry if I was being forward." He sat, opened his menu and avoided my eyes. I pushed the menu down so he'd look at me.

"I didn't think I had pulled back, I'm sorry. " He smiled in response. The waitress came back with two waters and my coffee. Edward and I both ordered sandwiches and he got a coffee as well.

"How did your inventory go?" I figured if I didn't start conversation, we might sit here in silence for hours.

"Oh, it went ok." He said, but he looked confused. I decided to file that away for later use. "How was your work week?"

"It was good. It's odd to be teaching navigation though. "

"Really?" He seemed surprised.

"Celestial navigation is such a lost form, and most of the time the class thinks so too. It's sad because that was always my favorite part of my job."

"You sound as if you miss it, Bella." He grabbed my hand but released it after a squeeze.

"Sometimes I do. Remember when you would come up to the bridge when we were floating in the middle of nowhere?" He nodded, "I miss that-seeing all the stars with nothing blocking it. "

"I used to love watching the sun come up or go down from the flight deck. I miss it too on occasion."

"You were in for longer than I was though." I replied.

"Only about a year." The waitress brought us our food and we started eating.

"So I was thinking, we could do lunch at my house next weekend?" He offered.

"Maybe, what can you cook?" I teased.

"I'm a good cook, thank you very much." He looked smug but winked.

"Sure, we can do that." I finished my sandwich and stole a few fries from his plate.

"Woman, don't mess with my food." He slapped my hand away when I went back for more.

"But they're so good." I pouted.

"Should have ordered some then, huh?" He slid some onto my plate.

"Thanks." I enjoyed each and every one of those fries.

We settled the bill and Edward walked me to my car.

"I'll touch base with you later on this week for lunch. Will Saturday work for you?"

"It should, but we can solidify plans this week. I don't have an actual class so I have half days." I said this hoping he would take the hint and invite me to do something during the week.

"That must be a nice change of pace." He said, leaning in to kiss my forehead and headed to his car. "I'll call you or text you by Wednesday. See you Bella!" He tossed over his shoulder and was gone.

I got in my car fuming and texted Tanya

_What the hell is wrong with this guy? _

My phone buzzed in response before I could set it down.

_Beer /Darts /We drink /Now?_

_Fuck yea-on the way home. See you soon-B_

**A/N: Love it? Hate it? Please review**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Thanks to everyone that has put this story on alert-. If you've reviewed, I've responded. If FF screwed up and I didn't get your review, I apologize. Thanks to my Fab BETA Linds! **

**If you've read anything else I've written you know I write things based on my real life. Don't hesitate to ask what's real or not-I don't mind in the least. **

**Beyond the Sea**

**Somewhere beyond the sea  
somewhere waiting for me  
my lover stands on golden sands  
and watches the ships that go sailin'**

_**Chapter 15**_

Tanya was unloading liquor from her car when I pulled into the driveway. I grabbed a few of the grocery totes and we headed into the kitchen.

"I wasn't sure if beer was going to work for your situation, so I picked up vodka and wine as well." She explained.

I put the totes on the table and burst into tears. Tanya was immediately at my side steering me into a chair. She threw her arms around me and let me cry, rubbing my back.

"Let it out, Bella." She soothed.

I sniffed a bit more, than stopped and wiped my eyes and nose. "I need a drink, T."

"Of course you do." She held up the vodka bottle for my approval and I nodded. I grabbed a napkin and blew my nose while Tanya made me a vodka cranberry.

"So would you like to talk about the water works?" She asked and handed me my drink. I shrugged and she smacked me in the shoulder. "Don't make me ask again." She threatened.

"Fine, I'll talk." I sighed and headed to the garage to shoot darts. Tanya was right behind me with her own drink.

"How did lunch go?" She probed.

"So he gets there and leans in to kiss my forehead again."

"I think that's sweet, is that what you're stressing about?"

"No, we talked over lunch, and he looked a little confused when I asked about inventory." Tanya looked confused too so I filled her in, "Remember, he said he had an inventory thing which is why he left after only a few minutes Saturday."

"Got it. Need another one?" She shook her glass at me.

"No thanks. I thought it was going well up until I dropped the hint that I had extra time this week. " I threw a dart. "But he didn't even pick up on it, stating only he'd text or call me by Wednesday to make plans for lunch again on Saturday."

"And…." She made the international hand symbol for '_hurry the fuck up' _

"I guess I just don't get it. He seems to like me, but won't touch me other than a kiss on the forehead. He grabbed the check as soon as it came and paid it. He walked me to my car when lunch was over, but didn't linger to talk. Kissed my forehead and practically sprinted to his car." I finished my drink.

"Spell it out for me, B. What exactly is the issue?"

"If he likes me, why not make late lunch plans during the week? If he likes me, why not hang out and talk a little bit, or even I don't know hug me?"

"I think you and he really need to have a chat. Did you say you're doing lunch again next weekend?"

"He invited me to his house." I did brighten up when I thought of that.

"He wouldn't let you know where he lived if he wasn't interested. Plus maybe you're not sending the right signals." She suggested.

"Maybe, I'm not. I guess I need to let him know I'm interested. How do I do that?" I mused.

Tanya grabbed the darts from me. "You act like a sex kitten on Saturday." She stated.

We played a few more games of darts, but I didn't drink any more. I know from experience that if I had more, I'd keep going until it was really late. I didn't want to go to work with a hangover.

When we left the garage, I hugged Tanya."Have I told you how amazing you are?"

"Not recently." She laughed.

"Well, you are. I only hope that guy you're seeing realizes it."

"How did you know?"

"You're gone so much and you seem happy. When do I get to meet him?"

"Soon." She promised, kissed my cheek and headed to her room.

**A/N: Love it? Hate it? Please review**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Thanks to everyone that has put this story on alert-. If you've reviewed, I've responded. If FF screwed up and I didn't get your review, I apologize. Thanks to my Fab BETA Linds! **

**If you've read anything else I've written you know I write things based on my real life. Don't hesitate to ask what's real or not-I don't mind in the least. **

**I've gotten a whole bunch of new followers-thanks for thinking I was worth the alert to your inbox-really! I'm flattered.**

**Beyond the Sea**

**Somewhere beyond the sea  
somewhere waiting for me  
my lover stands on golden sands  
and watches the ships that go sailin'**

_**Chapter 16**_

As promised, a text from Edward arrived on Wednesday afternoon. I had just returned from running so I showered prior to opening it. It was his address and a time. Short and sweet, I thought.

I sent back an ok, and finished combing my hair out. It was getting too long again so I made a mental note to ask Tanya for a good place to get a cut. I tossed on some yoga pants and a tank top and headed into the kitchen to scrounge up a snack. Groceries were getting low so I made a list while eating some yogurt and texted Tanya about dinner. If she wasn't coming home, I wasn't cooking.

I grabbed my keys and hit the grocery store, getting a negative reply from Tanya when I got there. After loading up way more food than usual, I paid and went home.

I spent the night working on lesson plans and thinking about Edward. Despite his actions I was really looking forward to seeing him in a few days.

The rest of the week flew by. It's amazing how fast half days at work go. Next thing I knew it was Saturday morning and I was standing in my closet naked looking for the 'right' outfit. I huffed and finally grabbed some cute jean capris and a v-neck t-shirt. I mentally punched myself for over thinking clothing. I grabbed some sandals and headed out the door.

It took less than ten minutes and I hit all read lights. His car was in the driveway so I parked at the curb and walked as slow as I could manage to his front door. I didn't have a chance to ring the doorbell before I heard barking and a scuffle. The door opened and there was Edward holding back the dogs with his leg. He reached over to unlock the screen door and ushered me in.

"Hi Bella." He moved out of the way so I could get in without tripping over the dogs and shut the door behind me. He went in for the forehead kiss, but I pulled his neck down so he would kiss my lips. He hesitated for a second, but kissed me on the mouth as I wished.

"Now, that's the proper way to greet me." I smiled and crouched down to say hi to the dogs as they were crowding at my ankles. They were beautiful and allowed me to rub their heads.

"Careful or they won't let you leave" Edward said." Come on in." He led me to the kitchen where he was making some salads.

"Do you want help? " I offered.

"There's not much to this, so I'm good." He replied. He tossed the dressing and nudged me to the bar to eat. "Nothing fancy at Chez Cullen on a Saturday afternoon," He said and handed me the pepper grinder.

"This is fine, thanks. Tell me about the dogs?"

"This is Penn, she's three, and this is Teller, he's a little over a year." He nudged each dog with his foot when he spoke but they seemed to love it, growling at his toes and trying to fight him.

"They're great. I love animals." I replied.

We finished our lunch in silence and I insisted on rinsing our bowls and putting them in the dishwasher. Edward corralled the dogs out of the kitchen and gestured me to follow him so I did. He led me to his living room.

"Take a seat, Bella." He motioned to the chair, but I chose to sit right next to him on the couch.

"How was your week?" I asked as one of the dogs got on my lap. I had to look for the blue collar to know it was Teller. I scratched behind his ears while waiting for Edward to answer.

"It was longer than I thought it would be. It's weird how it gets super busy and then fades to almost nothing." He was rubbing Penn's head as she had jumped in his lap and gave me an odd look.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Teller doesn't like anyone enough to sit on them, other than me. " He shrugged.

"I'm a likable person, Edward."

"Yes, you are." He agreed.

After a few more minutes, I looked at my watch and was surprised to see how late it was. This is the longest he and I had sat together.

"Do you have somewhere to be?" He asked.

"I was just wondering if you had to work or anything today."

"Not really, why?"

"In the past, you tend to ship me off after thirty minutes or so."

"I have? I'm sorry about that. I guess I'm not really used to spending time with people that don't work with me. I'll work on that though."

"I really should go, Tanya's expecting me. Plus I've taken your afternoon from you. Although I must admit, I do adore your dogs." I set Teller on the floor and rubbed his head one more time.

Edward did the same with Penn and we headed to the front door. He opened the door and walked me to my car.

"Thanks for coming over today, Bella. It was nice to spend some time with you."

"Thanks for inviting me. I'd love to hang out again soon." I nudged his ribs.

"Is that a hint?" He asked and grabbed my hands.

"Yes it is." I leaned up to kiss him good bye and got in my car, putting the window down.

Edward leaned in and kissed me good bye again." I like this new way of greeting and leaving each other." Then he pecked my forehead.

"Me too." I winked and headed home on a cloud.

**A/N: Love it? Hate it? Please review**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Thanks to everyone that has put this story on alert-. If you've reviewed, I've responded. If FF screwed up and I didn't get your review, I apologize. Thanks to my Fab BETA Linds! **

**If you've read anything else I've written you know I write things based on my real life. Don't hesitate to ask what's real or not-I don't mind in the least. **

**Thanks to everyone that put this story on alert! I'm flattered you'd want me in your inbox, -really! **

**Beyond the Sea**

**Somewhere beyond the sea  
somewhere waiting for me  
my lover stands on golden sands  
and watches the ships that go sailin'**

_**Chapter 17**_

There was a car I didn't recognize parked in front of our house when I got home. I didn't think anything of it until I came in the front door and heard Tanya screeching in what was probably not pain. I covered my ears and ran to my room, laughing.

I really didn't want to be chained in my room, so I sent her a text stating I was home, hoping she would get the message. After ten minutes of boredom, I decided I needed a friend other than Tanya to talk to, so I called Kate. She didn't pick up but they could have been out to sea, so I left her a message.

Since the noise died down from the other side of the house, I decided it was safe to venture to the kitchen for food. When I opened my door, I heard the front door closing, so I knew it was clear.

"Tanya Denali, get your ass out here!" I shouted as I headed to the kitchen.

Her head poked out of her bedroom door with the biggest smile I've ever seen. "In a second, I need to put clothes on B."

I grabbed chicken and salad mixings from the fridge and got the chicken cooking on the stove. Tanya made a beeline for bottled water and sat at the table.

"So, that was Alec." She said

"And who is Alec?"

"He's this great guy I'm kind of seeing these days."

"When can I meet him?" I added the cooked chicken to the top of the salad and grabbed bowls out for us.

"Soon, I promise. I meant to introduce you today, but one thing led to another…" She trailed off and actually blushed grabbing a bowl out of my hands.

"Is he treating you good, T? Because that's all that matters."

"Yes he is, now fill me in on lunch. How is Edward?"

She and I chatted about our men while we ate. She looked extremely happy and it was nice to notice. Tanya had always had a hard time trusting men. She never told me why, but I'm sure it's why she was always having friends with benefits instead of boyfriends. Maybe this Alec guy was different.

"So you feel better about where this is headed with Edward?" She interrupted my musings.

"Yes I do, I even initiated an actual kiss instead of the forehead one. "

"Wow!" Tanya looked shocked. "How did he react to that?"

"He's a man, T. He kissed me back and agreed it was a good way to greet and leave each other." I grinned and she laughed.

"Maybe we can do lunch as a foursome?" She suggested.

"I can ask and see , think Alec would be up for it?"

"He would, he's been asking to meet my friends and I want to ease him in slow."

"Next time I talk with Edward, I'll suggest it, ok?"

"Perfect."

She and I cleaned the kitchen up and headed to our respective rooms. My phone was blinking from the dresser when I went to grab the TV remote. It was a message from Edward.

_I had fun today. Soon? E_

_Soon what? B_

I wasn't expecting a response as he texted me over a half hour ago, so I was amused when my phone buzzed while still in my hand.

_Don't you understand my shorthand? I meant CU Soon? E_

_Are you asking me something? LoL B_

_Can I see you soon, silly girl E_

_YES! B_

_Goodnight pretty E_

_Night B_

**A/N: Love it? Hate it? Please review**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Thanks to everyone that has put this story on alert-. If you've reviewed, I've responded. If FF screwed up and I didn't get your review, I apologize. Thanks to my Fab BETA Linds! **

**If you've read anything else I've written you know I write things based on my real life. Don't hesitate to ask what's real or not-I don't mind in the least. **

**Thanks to everyone that put this story on alert! I'm flattered you'd want me in your inbox, -really! **

**Beyond the Sea**

**Somewhere beyond the sea  
somewhere waiting for me  
my lover stands on golden sands  
and watches the ships that go sailin'**

_**Chapter 18**_

In an unusual turn of events, I had a text from Edward on Monday. It was a simple Have a Good Day, but it made me warm and tingly in my belly. I sent him back a happy face and went about my day. It was nice to feel like I was in junior high again. I could only hope he was okay with moving slow. My trust issues weren't too bad from Sam, but they were still there. I made a mental note to not mention it unless it became obvious.

When I got back from my meeting with Claire on Wednesday, Edward had left me an actual voicemail. I was surprised and listened to it immediately.

_Hey Bella, just wondering if we're on for lunch again on Saturday? Let me know-_

I contemplated calling him versus texting him, but class was starting up again and I couldn't do either until later. The afternoon flew by and I was grateful the students didn't stay late for extra help. It's always hard to try and explain the concepts of celestial navigation to people.

I decided to head home and call Edward. He didn't pick up, so I left a message about Tanya and Alec joining us and offering our house for the location. I changed and headed out for my run.

When I was at my car in the parking lot, I noticed two familiar dogs and their owner headed my way. I'm pretty sure my face lit up with a mega watt smile. I bent down to greet the dogs as Edward had let go of their leashes. He was only a few feet behind them and it left enough time for Penn and Teller to smother me with kisses.

"I don't think I'm going to kiss you hello after that." Edward laughed.

"Like you don't let them kiss you, Edward." I noted.

"You're right, I do" He leaned in and kissed my forehead.

"Didn't we discuss this the other day? These lips are open for business buddy." I nudged him and pouted until he leaned in for a proper hello.

"Tastes like Beagle." He commented, so I smacked him.

"Did you take the kids out for a walk?" I asked.

"Actually I was headed home from the post office and thought I saw you and your car. I was right."

"Yes you were. Did you get my message?"

"I did. Your house is fine, I have a meeting at two so can we maybe do it as brunch instead?"

"I can check with Tanya but since I'm head chef, I don't suppose it'll be a problem."

"I'll let you go so you can shower your stench off." I laughed and leaned down to say bye to the dogs.

"I'll have you know I smell like roses, Edward. Roses." He leaned down to kiss me again, opened my door for me and helped me into my car. I put my window down so I could say good bye.

"I'll see you Saturday. Hey where do you guys live?"

"I'll text you. Did you want a ride home?"

"No thanks, the kids need the exercise as do I."

"Suit yourself." I kissed him again, and watched as he headed back towards his house. It was a nice view of his ass and I don't think I've spent enough time looking at it.

**A/N: Love it? Hate it? Please review**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Thanks to everyone that has put this story on alert-. If you've reviewed, I've responded. If FF screwed up and I didn't get your review, I apologize. Thanks to my Fab BETA Linds! **

**If you've read anything else I've written you know I write things based on my real life. Don't hesitate to ask what's real or not-I don't mind in the least. **

**Thanks to everyone that put this story on alert! I'm flattered you'd want me in your inbox, -really! **

**Beyond the Sea**

**Somewhere beyond the sea  
somewhere waiting for me  
my lover stands on golden sands  
and watches the ships that go sailin'**

_**Chapter 19**_

Edward and I spent Thursday sending text messages back and forth. On Friday night Tanya and I opened a bottle of wine, threw on some tunage and went to work cleaning the place. As per Tanya, Alec had only been on the path from the front door to her bedroom. After calling her a whore, I told her she could clean her own hallway just in case.

I did clean my bedroom but I wasn't sure if I was even going to show Edward anything in here. He didn't give me a tour of his house either. Plus I didn't want him to think I was asking for sex by showing him my room. While I wanted us to get there and semi soon, I really was ok with most of the pace we were at.

Alec got here first on Saturday but Edward was right behind him. I greeted him at his car, and helped him unload some chips that he insisted on bringing. I was a little nervous and I'm not sure why, but I sucked that back.

First place we hit was the kitchen to drop off the food, than I led him to the garage where Tanya and Alec were playing darts.

"Alec, this is Edward. "

"Hi Alec, Tanya. " Edward and Alec shook hands. "You have a playroom in your garage? That is way cool, Bella."

"Don't tell her it's cool, tell me. It is my house after all. "Tanya actually stomped her foot and we all laughed.

"The darts are mine, brat." I reminded her.

"You play darts?" Edward asked.

"Dart league for eight years when I lived in Mayport. I haven't decided if I want to find one out here or not." I went to the cabinet and pulled out my custom darts to show him.

"These are pretty heavy. I like your flyers." He handed them back to me.

"Thanks. I tend to do better with the heavier ones." I shrugged. "Are you guys playing an actual game or messing around? I'm hungry and Edward has a meeting this afternoon."

"God you're so demanding, Bella. I suppose we can quit this and eat just to appease you." Tanya sighed but she and Alec joined Edward and I at the kitchen table.

I handed plates to everyone and took the cover off the big sub I got for us to share.

"So Bella, Tanya tells me you do the cooking. Is that because you like to cook or is it because she can't cook?" Alec asked.

"A little of both. " I responded

"I can too cook." Tanya insisted.

"Yea, some things, T. Just nothing difficult." She pouted at my comment but then laughed because she and I both knew it was true.

The rest of lunch went by comfortably. Alec and Edward seemed to get along which was a good thing if any of us got serious. Before I knew it, I was walking Edward to his car.

"Thanks for coming to my house this time." I said.

"Of course, Bella. Now that I know how close you are, I could even walk the dogs over here."

"They're more than welcome, Edward." I leaned in and kissed him good bye. When he tried to pull away, I pulled him closer to keep the kiss going. We broke away after a few minutes, breathing heavy with our foreheads pressed together.

"New way to say good bye?" He asked.

"New way to kiss in general." I replied.

He laughed, got in his car and backed out of the driveway. I waved until he was past the house and went back in to join Alec and Tanya. They were cleaning up the lunch items, so I headed out to the garage to clean the blackboard and get ready for a round of darts.

"I challenge one of you to a duel!" I shouted.

"I'll play you." Alec joined me. "Tanya, want winner?"

"Maybe, we'll see how long it takes." She yelled back from the back of the house.

The rest of the afternoon became a darts drinking game. We had a good time and when Alec left, I was feeling no pain. I stumbled to my room and sent Edward a text goodnight.

_Alec made me drink too much, I blame you_

He texted me right back.

_How is that my fault?_

_You weren't here to stop me?_

_Yeah, like I could have. Get some sleep Bella. E_

_K B_

I don't even remember getting undressed or under the covers.

**A/N: Love it? Hate it? Please review**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Thanks to everyone that has put this story on alert-. If you've reviewed, I've responded. If FF screwed up and I didn't get your review, I apologize. Thanks to my Fab BETA Linds! **

**If you've read anything else I've written you know I write things based on my real life. Don't hesitate to ask what's real or not-I don't mind in the least. **

**Thanks to everyone that put this story on alert! I'm flattered you'd want me in your inbox, -really! **

**Beyond the Sea**

**Somewhere beyond the sea  
somewhere waiting for me  
my lover stands on golden sands  
and watches the ships that go sailin'**

_**Chapter 20**_

The week after we all had lunch, I decided to chop my hair to my shoulders. It was a loss of about six inches and was very freeing. Even though my hair was still on the long side, it was shorter than it had been in years.

Edward and I spent the next two weeks texting and seeing each other only on the weekends. Things still hadn't progressed further than basic kissing yet. I was getting a bit frustrated with his slow movement, and I felt it was his turn to up the ante, as I upped it last time.

By week three of almost no contact other than thirty minute coffee dates again, I was beyond pissed. I stormed into the house feeling neglected. Tanya immediately came running out of the garage.

"What the hell, B? Is everything ok?"

"NO!" I screamed.

"Sit." She steered me into the living room. "Now tell Mama T what's got you so riled up."

"Edward has me riled right the fuck up. " I got up and headed to the kitchen, grabbing us each a beer from the fridge.

"What happened, B?" I thought things were going really good between you two."

I took a deep breath and a long drink of my beer while I thought that over. "I guess it depends on your definition of 'good'" I air quoted.

"Are you hormonal?" She asked and received the bitch brow in response.

"I'm a beautiful woman in my late 20's seeing, dating or whatevering a man of the same age that won't fucking touch me. Is it too much to ask for him to cop a fucking feel? Jesus!" I downed my beer and got up to get another one. "I mean for fucks sake, T I don't even know if we're dating or not."

"Come and sit back down, Bella. We need to work this out." Tanya patted the couch cushion, so I sat.

"When you say you don't even know if you're dating, what makes you think you're not?"

"All we do is coffee or lunch dates. I've been to his house the one time and he's only been here once. We seldom talk on the phone, and text two maybe three times a week. If we were dating, wouldn't we have gone to dinner once by now?" I sighed and sipped my beer. "If I'm not interested in a guy, I stick to these types of outings."

"What else?" She asked.

"The fact that all we do is kiss is a huge clue for me. If someone is interested in you sexually, you tend to move past first base by now. I moved faster when I was in junior high." I blew my hair out of my eyes.

"I get it now." Tanya exclaimed. "You're horny."

"As a unicorn. Problem is, I really like Edward but if we're not going anywhere, I can't hang out with him anymore. I need more than a few lunch dates and kissing in my life" I said sadly.

"Have you talked to him about any of this?"

"No, but I always push up chest to chest when we kiss, a normal man would've read that signal for what it was, an invitation to the breast buffet."

"Instead of acting like a thirteen year old, be an adult and have an actual conversation with him about this. Until you know where he stands, you can't move forward or away from him." She hugged me and got up to get the dryer as it buzzed.

_Could I have an adult conversation with him?_ I mused.

Tanya came back and dumped her hot clothes on me making me screech. "Woman, why?" I asked.

"I thought you needed it." She shrugged." Now get to folding while I fetch us another beer."

I grabbed the remote and turned on the TV for background noise while I helped Tanya with her laundry.

"You know you're going to have to pay me back by doing my laundry twice, right?" I nudged her.

"I don't think so." She threw her bra at my head.

"I do! I cook, I clean, and I fold your laundry. Oh my God! I'm your wife!" I tossed her bra into the kitchen.

"Hey!" She got up to retrieve her bra." This one makes my boobs look good. Be nice to it."

We watched the television in silence for a little while but I could feel Tanya looking at me every once in awhile.

"Why do you keep looking at me like that?"

"Making sure you're ok, B. That's all. When do you think you'll talk to him?" She asked, getting up for another beer.

"Not sure. I might ignore him for a few days to get my mind in order." I shrugged.

"You know you can bounce anything off me, and I can beat him up if you need it." She offered.

"I know thanks." We both went silent again.

**A/N: Love it? Hate it? Please review**


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: Thanks to everyone that has put this story on alert-. If you've reviewed, I've responded. If FF screwed up and I didn't get your review, I apologize. Thanks to my Fib BETA Lands! **

**If you've read anything else I've written you know I write things based on my real life. Don't hesitate to ask what's real or not-I don't mind in the least. **

**Thanks to Mabso for mentioning this story on A Different Forest. Thanks to everyone that put this story on alert! I'm flattered you'd want me in your inbox, -really! **

**Beyond the Sea**

**Somewhere beyond the sea  
somewhere waiting for me  
my lover stands on golden sands  
and watches the ships that go sailing'**

_**Chapter 21**_

The next day, I made the less than adult decision to ignore any texts from Edward. Lucky for me, he didn't bother to text anyway. This made me feel even worse than I did while venting to Tanya. I went for a run even though I don't run on Sundays, but it didn't help. I finally grabbed my notebook and sat out back in the sun writing down all of my hopes, dreams and fears.

One I started to write things out, I found I could barely stop. Next thing you know, I'm a sobbing mess on the back deck. I didn't realize I still had so much inside to deal with from my horrible marriage and my below zero self esteem.

I stood up, stretched and headed inside to wash my face and grab a beer. I brought my notebook with me, because I was determined to write a list of all the great things about myself and things I also needed to work on.

Monday and Tuesday flew by without a word from Edward. I admit, it bugged me but then again I could have texted him too.

On Wednesday Tanya attempted to make me a grilled cheese sandwich for dinner as a 'feel better' meal. I laughed and ate my way through two charred sandwiches.

"You won't hurt my feelings by not eating them, B." She had noticed me scraping the black off of them.

"I know, but you went through all this for me." I attempted to smile but it didn't work.

"Want to talk about it?"

"What's to talk about? I haven't heard from Edward and even if I did, what would I say? Yeah lunch again, great." I made the international hand signal for whoot hoot.

"Until you _do_ talk to him, you won't get anywhere, B. That's all I'm saying. So how about a girls night out this weekend?"

"Maybe, let me think about it." I put my dish in the sink and retreated to my room.

On Thursday morning, I finally got a text from him.

_Are we on for our usual on Sat? E_

_Probably not, headed out with T and girls Fri, so sleeping in on Sat. B_

_K, Sun? E_

_Maybe. Gotta get to work. B_

_? E_

I was glad he seemed confused. Now we had that in common. I knew I would need to clear the air, but a little more thinking and writing things out was in order. I would go out with the girls on Friday, hibernate on Saturday and try to meet Edward to talk on Sunday.

It was the least I could do. I really needed to know where I stood with him. With that decided, I was able to actually concentrate on my work so I could head home.

When I pulled into the driveway Tanya was already home and waiting for me in work out gear.

"Whatcha doing?" I raised an eyebrow.

"I'm going to walk with you instead of run. Can you slow down for me?" She batted her eyes.

"I really am fine Tanya you don't need to babysit me." I insisted.

"I'm doing this for me, silly girl. I'm definitely not ready to run and might not ever be. Can you show me where you go?"

"Sure, just give me five minutes." I went, changed and grabbed my ipod and keys and ushered Tanya out to my car. We were at the park in a few minutes and headed to my favorite trail.

We started a pretty slow pace as her highness was acting like this was a chore, but we eventually found a middle groove that worked for both of us. We each had our headphones on, so no talking. It was kind of nice to be here with someone.

We were both quiet on the way home. It's almost like Tanya knew I was being introspective. When we finally got in the house, I headed to my shower.

"Hey, T!" I shouted over my shoulder, "Tell the girls it's on for tomorrow night, ok?"

I could hear her squeal from my bedroom and I was actually looking forward to it.

I received a text from Edward on Friday as I headed to my car after work.

_Have fun tonight and be safe. E_

Hearing from him gave me conflicted emotions. I really needed to get my thoughts together so he and I could talk. It wouldn't be fair of me to keep ignoring him. I made a mental note that Sunday would be do or die day, as in I would talk about my feelings and fears.

I could hear the stereo from the driveway when I got home that afternoon. There was a car parked at the curb that I could only assume belonged to Rose or Alice. Once I was at the front door, I could hear voices singing along to what may have been boy bands. I cringed, but went inside, curious to see what was going on.

Tanya and Alice were already acting pretty hammered, dancing around the living room. There were two empty wine bottles on the coffee table. Alice noticed me first.

"Hey Bella you're home!" She shouted over the music.

"Yes, I am. How long has this been going on?" I pointed to the wine bottles.

"Hours, I think." Tanya looked to Alice for confirmation, but got nothing but a blank stare.

"Where's Rose?" I asked.

"On the way with more wine. She had to stop at Trader Joe's first." Alice said, grabbing an empty bottle and trying to get more out of it.

Just as I was about to recommend we order some food, Rose stormed in carrying a case of wine. "What up Beeyotches?" She yelled.

"Rose!" Tanya and Alice shouted back.

"Here's a bottle, Debbie Downer." Rose grabbed a bottle out of her case of wine and thrust it into my hands.

**A/N: Love it? Hate it? Please review**


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: Thanks to everyone that has put this story on alert-. If you've reviewed, I've responded. If FF screwed up and I didn't get your review, I apologize. Thanks to my Fib BETA Lands! **

**If you've read anything else I've written you know I write things based on my real life. Don't hesitate to ask what's real or not-I don't mind in the least. **

**. Thanks to everyone that put this story on alert! I'm flattered you'd want me in your inbox, -really! **

**Beyond the Sea**

**Somewhere beyond the sea  
somewhere waiting for me  
my lover stands on golden sands  
and watches the ships that go sailing'**

_**Chapter 22**_

Three hours, two pizzas and a lot of wine later, we were all dressed in pajamas and sufficiently toasted. I got up from the floor to grab us waters and noticed my phone message light was blinking. I grabbed it and saw Edward had texted me. I decided to take a poll on whether to read it or not.

"So ladies, and I use that term loosely, Edward sent me a text. Do I read it?"

"What's up with you two anyway?" Rose demanded." Emmett said he told him you were acting odd this week. "

"Me?" This news surprised me.

"Do you even like him, Bella?" Alice asked, downing half her water and breaking the foil on another bottle of wine.

"I've liked him for seven years."

"Then why you being a hooker?" Rose stumbled over her words.

"WHAT! How dare you? You don't even fucking know me!" I screeched out.

"He likes you, hangs out with you, even invited you to his fucking house and you ignore him and keep him at arm's length. That's what I mean. Emmett took him out tonight to make him feel better."

"I'm gonna get some air." I was pissed and knew if I stayed in there, I would hit someone, so I stormed to the back patio, still holding my phone. I bit the bullet and opened the message.

_Emmett said girls night in was a better option. E_

I sat there turning my phone over and over in my hand, debating whether to answer it or not. I heard the back door open and the three of them came pouring out with another bottle of wine. I wiped my face and texted him back before the girls sat down.

_So far it kinda sux. But hey at least I'm drunk. B_

"Tell us what's going on in that head of yours, Bella." Alice handed me the wine bottle.

I took a deep drink and started in on my story. I told them all about Sam, how he never gave me butterflies, that I didn't care if he called or not and I hadn't felt much in the way of love with him. I filled them in on how Edward made me feel alive from the first time we talked, and compared it to how strained my life with Sam had been. How I realized I never really did love Sam, but married him anyway hoping I would learn to love him. My phone vibrated with a text from Edward while I was finishing my story.

_If it's any consolation, my night sucks too. Just like my week did. E_

"What do you mean 'learn to love him'? " Rose interrupted me, grabbing the wine bottle.

"I don't know if I can explain that, Rose. I dated shitty guys in high school and Sam was a lot like all of them. When he cheated on me, I didn't think I deserved any better treatment."

I heard a sniffle and looked up to see all three girls crying over my predicament. "You're right, I am a Debbie Downer." I wiped my face again and hugged them. "Let's get to dancing and more drinking. Holey shit, it's barely eight pm." I was in shock when I looked at the time on my phone. I decided to respond to Edward's text before I went inside.

_My week sucked too_

"You know you deserve whatever you want, right B?" Rose asked. I just shrugged and went inside.

"I do and I know I want Edward. Just don't say anything to Emmett, Rose. I need to handle this myself."

"Does this mean you aren't afraid anymore" Tanya asked.

"It means I'm willing to try, T"

By midnight, we were very drunk. There wasn't any wine left and we had already drunk half the beer in the fridge. Now we were sucking down water. I hadn't heard from Edward in hours but Rose and Emmett had started sexting a few minutes prior. She was reading his responses to us and it was kind of gross.

"He wants pictures of us in our nightwear. I swear, why would they think we're in lacy things having a pillow fight?" Rose scoffed. "B, show me your boobs for him."

"I feel pretty fucking awesome right now, Rose, but not that good." I smiled.

"What are you going to do about Edward?" Alice asked.

"She's going to tell him everything." Tanya answered.

"I know I'm not being fair to either of us, but why would I do that? I should just hand him my journal to read, it would be easier."

"Because silly girl, he's keeping you at arm's length for the same reason you're keeping him there." She smiled smugly.

"Makes sense." Rose said, pushing us together to take a picture and texted it to Emmett. It took about three seconds for my phone to beep. I leaned over and grabbed it from the coffee table.

"Read it, Bella." Tanya demanded and grabbed my phone to open the message. "It's from Edward: Emmett said you girls are complete toast."

"We are." Alice slurred.

"Here Here!" She and I toasted our water bottles.

"How should we answer him?" Tanya asked.

"What's this 'we' shit? " I reached for my phone, but Tanya swatted me away and put the phone down. I grabbed it and fired off a quick text.

Next thing I know, the sun was glaring into the living room, Rose was snoring in my ear, and Alice was lying across my chest. I looked at the watch on my wrist to see it was a few minutes before six. I had barely glanced around before I noticed my phone still in my hand. I opened it up to notice I had quite a few texts from Edward.

_WTF! Bella_

_Call me right the fuck now!_

_I'm coming over, this needs to be settled_

They were increasingly angry, and the third one was sent only about an hour ago. I had to go to my sent items to see what I wrote him.

_My week could have been better if I knew you even liked me. Why don't you like me?_

Oh fuck, I thought. I was in a half sitting position when there was banging at the front door and an angry sounding Edward yelling my name.

**A/N: Love it? Hate it? Please review**


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: Thanks to everyone that has put this story on alert-. If you've reviewed, I've responded. If FF screwed up and I didn't get your review, I apologize. Thanks to my Fab BETA Lands! **

**If you've read anything else I've written you know I write things based on my real life. Don't hesitate to ask what's real or not-I don't mind in the least. **

**Thanks to everyone that put this story on alert! I'm flattered you'd want me in your inbox -really! **

**Beyond the Sea**

**Somewhere beyond the sea  
somewhere waiting for me  
my lover stands on golden sands  
and watches the ships that go sailing'**

_**Chapter 23**_

I rushed to the front door to get Edward to stop his pounding and stubbed my toe on the coffee table in the process. I barely had the door open before he was barreling through it screaming at me causing me to cringe at the noise.

"For fuck's sake, Bella! What is the matter with you? I swear I don't get women in the fucking least!" I leaned over and pinched his lips shut.

"Shh, please. There are passed out people in my living room and I have a huge fucking hangover. Coffee?" I released his lips and pushed him into the kitchen. I grabbed two mugs and filled them all the while blessing the Coffee Maker Gods that invented automatic dripping. I shoved a mug into his hands grabbed his arm and dragged him into my bedroom.

"What the fuck, Edward!" I yelled. "Why are you pounding on my front door at too frigging early in the morning? Sit!" I shoved him onto my bed and rifled through my purse for some aspirin. "Want some?" I offered, but he didn't do more than give me the evil eye.

"What to the fuck do you mean by this?!" He threw his cell at me, hitting my stomach. I glared at him, but grabbed it from the floor where it fell. It was open to my text asking him why he didn't like me.

"I…" I trailed off as Edward interrupted me and he was pissed.

"You don't think I _like_ you? What in the ever loving name of _Zeus_ would make you think that? Could it be all the texts I leave you? Or hell, maybe it's the coffee dates _I_ plan. Jesus fucking Christ, right now, I don't think I _do_ like you. I can't even-" He broke off and took a deep breath, and then drank some coffee. When he had composed himself, I tried to speak.

"Maybe I should shower first, Edward, and then we can go somewhere and talk. I don't want us to wake everyone else up."

"Don't worry about them, worry about _me_, Bella." He got up and started pacing, mumbling under his breath.

"Can you calm down a little with the yelling? My head really hurts…"

"Are you serious right now? Can you not get how fucking upset I am? I'm not allowed to yell when I'm angry? Because I'm barely keeping my temper in check right now, Bella!" He bit the words out and continued pacing.

It was obvious that our discussion was about to happen now instead of tomorrow. I sighed and headed over to my nightstand and grabbed my journal. "Can we at least go out back, please?" I headed to the glass doors outside my bedroom and led Edward to the table. Once he sat down, I handed him my journal.

"What is this?" He shook the book in my face.

"Just read it, please. I'm going to get more coffee and water while you read this. Would you like any?"

He didn't even glance at me as he shook his head no and grabbed the journal from my hands. I could see him from the kitchen and I watched the frustration cross his face as he opened the journal and started to read. I grabbed him water anyway and headed back outside.

"I brought you water." I said and placed the bottle in front of him. He didn't even acknowledge me.

Every once in a while his face would scrunch up as if he was trying to figure out a problem. Then he would look at me, before going back to reading. He was shaking his head and glaring at me by the time he put the book down.

"Can I get more coffee and aspirin, now?" He closed his eyes and leaned his head against the back of the chair while I got up to grab him some of each.

"Are you ok?"

"Am I ok?" He repeated."Not really. I'm hung over myself, maybe even borderline drunk. I'm not really sure."

"How did you get here?" I hoped he didn't drive if he was still drunk.

"Cab." He muttered scrubbing his hands over his face. "I'm not sure what to do with this information, Bella." He waved at the closed journal on the table. "You don't come across as this insecure."

"The insecurity comes from being cheated on. I'm trying to work on it, but it's been difficult." I decided to plunge ahead. "You asked me how I could text that to you, right. How many times have we done dinner since we started whatever this is?"

"We did dinner here with Tanya and Alec." He seemed confused.

"Yes we did. So that's a one for dinner. How long have we been doing these coffee dates?"

"What are you getting at Bella?"

"Ok, I'll answer that for you. It's been months. I've been to your house during daylight hours for a very short lunch and we meet in public every fucking weekend. You don't touch me unless I initiate it and ..." I trailed off as I felt the tears come to my eyes.

"I thought you wanted to take things slow."

Now it was my turn to get pissed. "Slow, not snail pace for fuck's sake. You didn't try to kiss me on my lips until I forced it. We've had several make out sessions but you keep your hands in Switzerland and honestly, it's annoying."

He looked shocked."Switzerland?"

"Safe zones. You haven't even tried to cop a feel and trust me when I tell you, I need a fucking feel!"

"Maybe we both misjudged this, Bella. I thought I was reading your signals so I was going slowly. I didn't realize you wanted to move at a faster pace. I'm glad to hear it though."

"So where do we go from here?" I asked.

"What are you doing for dinner?" He smiled.

"Nothing, but I really need to nap. Come on." I grabbed his hand and pulled him back into my room. "Let's sleep."

Edward kicked off his shoes and we both climbed onto the bed. I laid my head on his chest and he curled his arm around me pulling me close. He kissed my temple as I fell back into sleep.

**A/N: Love it? Hate it? Please review**


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: Thanks to everyone that has put this story on alert-. If you've reviewed, I've responded. If FF screwed up and I didn't get your review, I apologize. Thanks to my Fab BETA Lands! **

**If you've read anything else I've written you know I write things based on my real life. Don't hesitate to ask what's real or not-I don't mind in the least. **

**Thanks to everyone that put this story on alert! I'm flattered you'd want me in your inbox -really! **

**Thanks to being so VOCAL! I was pretty happy to read your reviews on the previous chapter**

**Beyond the Sea**

**Somewhere beyond the sea  
somewhere waiting for me  
my lover stands on golden sands  
and watches the ships that go sailing'**

_**Chapter 24**_

I woke up to an overheated man holding me close. I almost panicked until I remembered Edward showing up early this morning. I shifted so I could see my watch and gasped in surprise. It was noon. I leaned closer and nudged Edward with my elbow.

"Quit it." He snuggled down further into the bed, pulling me with him.

"We need to get up, Edward."

"No we don't. Shhhh, go back to sleep." He was adorable all sleepy.

"It's noon."

"It's _what_?!" He shot up, rubbing at his face. "We slept for over five hours. Shit!" He jumped off the bed, looking around in confusion.

"Bathroom is through there." I pointed him in the right direction. He came back out a few minutes later, looking sheepish.

"Sorry, but I have a conference call in thirty minutes and I need to check on the dogs." He sat on the edge of the bed and pulled his shoes on.

"I need to go for a run; did you want me to take the dogs with me?" I offered.

"They can be a handful, are you sure you'd want to do that?" He looked happy at the suggestion.

"I love dogs, so of course. Let me throw on some clothes and brush my teeth and I'll be right over." I leaned up and kissed his cheek, happy that there wasn't any awkwardness between us.

He was gone when I got out of the bathroom, so I tossed on a pair of shorts and a tank top. Deciding not to take my iPod, grabbed my keys and headed to Edward's house.

I didn't have time to knock before Penn and Teller were at the screen door, yipping at me. A muffled, "its open" carried down the hall, so I walked in. I got on the floor with the dogs giving them love, while waiting for Edward. I looked up when I heard him coming towards me. He helped me off the floor and gave me a kiss.

"I would have done that before I left, but between the alcohol and the sleep, I was pretty rank."

"Understandable." I agreed. "Anything I need to know before I take the kids?"

"They're great on the leash, and if there's no one around, you can let them off. They know their names, so that won't be an issue. Come on." He waved me behind him and we went into the kitchen. "Here are some poop bags, but they both already defiled the backyard, so you shouldn't need these." He also handed me a portable water dish and a big water bottle." You can share it with them." He winked and walked over to a door I hadn't noticed before.

"What's that lead to?" I asked.

"Oh this is to the garage, it's closed in and I use it as the main office/inventory/warehouse for the website. I'll show you later. I also have a dog area for their stuff." He reached through the door and grabbed a leash with a splitter. "Here you go" He handed the leash to me.

"You want me to leash them?"

"You need to get to know them, so why not? I want them to listen to you as the Beta, since you can't be Alpha." He laughed at his own horrible joke and I poked him.

"I won't run with them today so I can get used to them, but we will walk the same trail I run. It's not rocky or anything."

He walked me back to the foyer where the dogs were patiently sitting waiting to go. I clipped them to the leash and led them to my car. Edward lifted Penn and I lifted Teller into the backseat.

"Leave the windows open about two inches while you drive, and they will love you. Thanks for this, Bella." He kissed me good bye and helped me into the car. "See you in a little bit."

I was pleasantly surprised at how well the dogs were in the car. They each chose a back window to look out of and they were extremely patient with me getting them out of the car. They had no problem with me leading them in the direction I wanted to go. We stopped a few times for them to sniff and mark territory along the way. Gladly I didn't need the poo bags.

When we got back to the grassy area, I gave them water and let them run off leash for a little while. They seemed to like that. Once I corralled them back onto their leash, we got in the car and headed back to Edwards. The door was open when we got back to his house. I debated over just walking in, but if he was still on the phone, I didn't want to interrupt him.

The dogs ran out their doggie door in the kitchen as soon as I took their leash off, so I decided to follow them. I hadn't been anywhere other than the kitchen and the living room of Edward's house, so I felt like being nosy. To my delight he had a pool! It was gated to keep the dogs out. I had just sat down in a chair when I heard the backdoor.

"There you are. Whatcha doing?" Edward joined me at the table.

"Taking a look around of course. I'm a bit jealous since you have a pool. "

"Don't be, they're expensive. I had to gate it because Penn loves to swim but they need supervision or they won't get out."

I took a look around his backyard. It had an avocado tree in the back corner, and some grills at the edge near the back of his garage. "Three grills?"

"Ones for gas and the other two are charcoal. What?" He noticed me giving him an odd look.

"No really, you have three grills?"

"Sometimes I throw the four employees a thank you party, more grills makes it easier. Come with me." He stood up and pulled me with him. He took me around to the other side of the garage and opened a door.

I couldn't believe what I was seeing. An entire wall was full of racks. Each rack had about six shelves and each shelf had rubber tubs on them. Every tub had a number on it.

"This is my inventory." Edward explained. He pushed me further in and I could see three desks set up in a corner. On the other side next to the shelving was a smaller rack with shipping supplies on it,

"Here, look." He handed me a clipboard with spread sheets on it. Each line had a number and a description of the item. "This corresponds to each tub on the shelf."

"Wow! It's so organized!"

"What were you expecting?"

"An adult store feel, but this makes sense as you don't need to display anything."

"Did you want anything?" He wiggled his eyebrows at me.

"Maybe after we get to know each other a little bit better." I was a little uncomfortable discussing my likes/dislikes before we'd even gotten to second base.

He led me back into the kitchen through the other door. "Hungry? I haven't eaten other than an apple and I'm starved."

"Oh, I have some things to do before we go out tonight, so no but thanks. What kind of attire for tonight?"

"Let me get back to you. If I was going to pick you up at six, what time would you need that answer by? I know women take a crazy long time to get ready." I laughed and elbowed him.

"No later than five, I really don't take more than forty five minutes."

"You'll hear from me before that." He walked me to the door. "Thanks for taking the kids today, they had a great time."

"How can you tell?"

"They're running all amped out in the back yard, that's how. " He opened the door, leaned down and kissed me." I'll call you later."

I got in my car and did a little squeal. An actual date! I was excited.

**A/N: Love it? Hate it? Please review**


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: If you've reviewed, I've responded. If FF screwed up and I didn't get your review, I apologize for not getting back to you. Thanks to my Fab BETA Lands! **

**If you've read anything else I've written you know I write things based on my real life. Don't hesitate to ask what's real or not-I don't mind in the least. **

**Thanks to everyone that put this story on alert! I'm flattered you'd want me in your inbox -really! **

**Beyond the Sea**

**Somewhere beyond the sea  
somewhere waiting for me  
my lover stands on golden sands  
and watches the ships that go sailing'**

_**Chapter 25**_

I spent the afternoon blaring music and dancing around as I did some laundry and cleaning. I couldn't remember a time when I was happier, which was odd. I was so lost in my music that I didn't know Tanya had come up behind me until she poked me in the sides causing me to probably jump eight feet.

"Fuck woman! What the hell?!" I screeched.

"Why are you so happy, missy? And why aren't you hung over?" She demanded.

"Did you hear Edward at the door this morning?" I went to the kitchen to get water, Tanya following behind me.

"No, I actually passed out in my bed. "She smirked and grabbed water too.

"Well, I guess he didn't like something I texted him while I was drunk, so he came over for clarification. I let him read my journal and then we took a nap. I walked his dogs while he worked and now we have dinner plans for tonight."

Tanya screamed and hugged me. "I'm so glad you guys talked, B. Where's he taking you for dinner?"

I shrugged, "He said he'd let me know by five." I headed to the garage to transfer the laundry from washer to dryer with her following me. "Why are you hot on my heels, woman?"

"You guys are okay now?"

"It boils down to this, T. He was reading my 'get the hell away' signals pretty accurately and taking things at a snail pace. I told him I wanted much more than that, so we're going to give it a shot."

"Good for you, B." She hugged me and left the garage. I checked my watch and saw I had another hour until I expected to hear from Edward, so I threw some darts. I missed being in a league. Just as I was removing the darts for another game, my phone rang.

"Hi Bella, whatcha doing?" Edward asked.

"Laundry and darts. What's up?"

"Is it possible for me to pick you up by five? I want to take you to this great steak place but they can only get us in around five thirtyish."

"Of course, I need to hop in the shower though. What's the dress code? "

"Impress me." He said and hung up.

"Fucker" I mumbled. "TANYA!" I ran to her room and pounded on her door.

"Jeepers I was trying to get in the shower, what the _hell_ is it?" I could tell by the way she held the door she was naked, but I stormed in anyway.

"He said it was a nice steak place and to impress him with my clothing choice. What could that mean?"

"I'm sure it's upscale. Dress nice, can I please shower, now?" She crossed her arms over her chest.

"Sorry, yes you may. I'd kiss you but with you all naked you might think the wrong things." I smacked her ass on the way out instead.

"Hooker!" She shouted through the door, but I could hear her laughing.

I headed to my own shower as I now had about an hour to get ready. I made sure to ladyscape just in case and dried my hair straight, which was a hassle as my hair is on the thick side. Once I had my make up done, I chose a purple wrap around dress and black Mary Janes with silver buckles. My normal rings and earrings sealed the outfit.

I had enough time to spritz a small dose of perfume on before there was a knock on my bedroom door. I leaned over to turn the knob, grabbing my purse off my dresser at the same time. "I'm getting ready to leave, T. What's up?" I turned and it was Edward. "Oh, hi." I smiled.

"Hi, Tanya let me in. Was that ok?" He asked.

"Of course it was." I leaned up to kiss him.

"You look fantastic." He kissed me again. I looked him up and down, noticing the cut of his gray pinstriped pants.

"You do too. I'm ready if you are." I led him back to the front door. He grabbed my hand and pulled me to his car, opening the door for me.

It was a quiet for a few minutes and I could feel Edward glancing at me while he drove.

"What?" I finally asked.

"Nothing, you just look so pretty. I don't remember ever seeing you dressed up before."

"Well, I did have to wear a polo shirt while in Dubai." I reminded him.

"Yeah, but my thoughts were always on how you looked in your bikini." We laughed and made small talk until we pulled up in front of valet parking on the water. The valet helped me out of the car, and Edward grabbed my hand and led me into the restaurant. We were seated immediately.

I looked over the menu while Edward perused the wine list. "Did you even want any alcohol to drink? I'm not sure I can stomach it after the way I felt this morning." I commented.

"I was contemplating some wine, but we don't have to drink. Doesn't really matter to me." He said.

The server came over and we placed our orders. We decided against appetizers as the entrees were so big. Edward and I made small talk throughout the whole meal. It was comfortable and easy. When Edward had paid for the bill, he took my arm and led me out onto a balcony so we could see the water better.

"This is a nice place, Edward. Thanks for bringing me here."

He leaned in to kiss me. "Don't get used to it, B. I'm more of a pub kind of guy."

We laughed and headed out of the restaurant. Edward opened my door for me again, which was really nice and climbed into the driver's seat and steered the car to the road.

"It's still early, did you want to hang out and watch movies?" I offered.

"Did you think I was taking you home?" He asked.

"I guess I just assumed that, I'm sorry. What's the big plan now?"

"I was thinking of taking you to my house to watch movies." He said and I giggled.

"Great minds, but can we at least stop at my house? If we're going to be casual the rest of the night, I'd like to change my clothes."

"Of course." He pulled into my driveway a few minutes later. "I'll wait here."

"I'll be back soon." I got out of the car and was at the door when I heard him yell to me.

"Hey Bella, maybe you should plan on spending the night. In case we fall asleep watching TV or something."

I gave him thumbs up and did a little jig as soon as the door was closed and he couldn't see me.

**A/N: Love it? Hate it? Please review**


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N: If you've reviewed, I've responded. If FF screwed up and I didn't get your review, I apologize for not getting back to you. Thanks to my Fab BETA Linds! (Whom I apologize to as for a few chappies, I've spelled her name wrong)**

**If you've read anything else I've written you know I write things based on my real life. Don't hesitate to ask what's real or not-I don't mind in the least. **

**Thanks to everyone that put this story on alert! I'm flattered you'd want me in your inbox -really! **

**Beyond the Sea**

**Somewhere beyond the sea  
somewhere waiting for me  
my lover stands on golden sands  
and watches the ships that go sailing'**

_**Chapter 26**_

I sprinted to my room thinking about what to bring to Edward's. I grabbed my tote bag out of my closet and threw it on the bed. I grabbed my toothbrush and hairbrush and threw them onto my bed while I changed into yoga pants and a comfy long sleeved tee to hang out in. I debated on grabbing something to sleep in or not. Most nights I slept naked, but I knew I couldn't do that at Edward's, at least not tonight and I didn't want it to seem as if I was expecting anything. I finally decided on a camisole and some sleep shorts. I was headed back out to the car in five minutes flat.

"Much better." I proclaimed as I got back into the car.

"Did you grab stuff for the night, just in case?"Edward asked.

"Yes, I did." I held up my tote bag for him to see.

"Let's go then." We got to his house and cold hear the dogs whining from the driveway.

"They know the sound of my car." He explained." Watch their happy butt dance when I open the door."

True to his word, the dogs ran in circles wiggling their butts at him as soon as he opened the door. They even circled me a few times, so I got on the floor to show them some love.

"I like that you do that." He said.

"Why?" I looked up at him in between dog kisses.

"It's nice that you play with the dogs. " He shrugged it off and lent me a hand to get up, giving me a long kiss when I reached my full height. He grabbed my bag from his hands and led me into the house. "I just realized I haven't really shown you around the house." He pulled me into the living room. "You've been in here. Through that door is a small bathroom." He pointed to a door in between the kitchen and the hall. Still holding my hand, he led me down the hall, pointing at doors. "My office, spare bedroom, guest bath." He paused at the end of the hall and took a deep breath. "My room." He pushed the door open and led me inside.

"Nice steps for the dogs." I winked as I looked around. Huge bed, with wrought iron headboard but no footboard. That's where the dog steps were. Two mirrored chests stood about six feet tall against the wall. There were sliding glass doors to the left of the bed that led into the backyard.

Edward set my bag down on the chair in the corner. "Sometimes the dogs sleep with me. Will that bother you?"

"Only if they're bed hogs."

"They are." He laughed and pulled me towards the end of the room. "Master bath." He opened the door to a hotel style bathroom, complete with counter and two sinks adjacent to the bath but not in it. He also had a large corner tub that looked as if it could fit three people.

"If you want, you can go get comfy on the couch while I change."

"Sure." I kissed his cheek and headed back to his kitchen to grab some water. The dogs were instantly at my feet. They followed me back into the living room and nestled against me on the couch. I picked up the remote just as Edward came back into the room.

"Do you need anything?" He offered.

"No I already grabbed some water, but thanks. What movie are we watching?"

He sat on the couch, moving the dogs so I was leaning into him and they were leaning against me. "Not sure, do you have a preference?"

"Nope, you can choose and I'll try not to complain." I joked.

"Thanks for that. Are the dogs bugging you? Once they fall asleep, they'll be dead weight against you." He kissed my temple and took the remote from me.

"They're fine for now."

Edward chose an action movie and I snuggled deeper into his chest as he put his arm around me and pulled me closer. It made me feel safe, which was a nice thing to feel.

About halfway through the movie I couldn't stop yawning and Edward must have noticed.

"Was a five hour nap not enough sleep today?"

"Guess not." I yawned again.

"Come on; let me get you settled in bed." He pulled me up from the couch and led me down the hall. "I'm going to lock up and encourage the dogs to sleep on their bed tonight." He kissed my forehead and left the room.

I stumbled into the bathroom with my bag. I brushed my teeth and hair then changed into my cami and shorts. I hesitated over which side of the bed to sleep on, but then I remembered how we snuggled on my bed and chose my normal side. I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I noticed was Edward pulling my body closer to his in the bed.

"Christ woman, what are you wearing?" He muttered as he pulled my back tight to his chest.

"Jammies, silly." I relaxed into his embrace as he ran his hand up and down my side.

"I can't wait to see them tomorrow. Good night Bella." He kissed my temple.

"Night." I sighed and let sleep overcome me.

**A/N: Love it? Hate it? Please review**


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N: If you've reviewed, I've responded. If FF screwed up and I didn't get your review, I apologize for not getting back to you. Thanks to my Fab BETA Linds! **

**If you've read anything else I've written you know I write things based on my real life. Don't hesitate to ask what's real or not-I don't mind in the least. **

**Thanks to everyone that put this story on alert! I'm flattered you'd want me in your inbox -really! **

**Beyond the Sea**

**Somewhere beyond the sea  
somewhere waiting for me  
my lover stands on golden sands  
and watches the ships that go sailing'**

_**Chapter 27**_

I was having a fantastic dream that involved a hand skimming below my breasts before I realized there was actually a hand skimming below my breasts. I tensed slightly before remembering that I had spent the night with Edward. He must have noticed I was awake or what he was doing, because his hand stopped.

"Morning." I turned into him.

"Hi." He kissed my temple. "Sorry about the wandering hands."

"S'okay. It felt nice." I shrugged and snuggled further into his chest. "What time is it?"

I felt him move to glance at the clock. "Almost eight. Would you like me to make you breakfast?" He offered.

"Maybe, what's on the menu?" I teased, running my hand through his sparse chest hair. I paused when I realized he must not be wearing much next to me, but continued since it didn't seem to bother him.

He laughed and lifted my hand up to kiss my fingers. "What do you want? I can actually cook." He sounded pretty proud of himself, so I took a few seconds to think about what I really wanted to eat.

"Waffles?" I looked into his eyes to see him smiling.

"Done." He kissed my head again before trying to get out of the bed. I say try because I pulled him back into me for a hug.

"Thanks for letting me spend the night." I kissed his throat and let him move, watching as his boxer clad ass climb out.

"Trust me when I tell you it was my pleasure. I enjoyed holding you." He scrambled into the bathroom and I stretched out in the bed. I was sitting up stretching when he came back out. He stopped cold when he saw me.

"Fuck Bella, that's what you were wearing? A lace top? What's on your bottom? It didn't feel like much."

"Are you being a pervert?" I asked as I moved the blankets aside to get out of bed so he could see me.

He bit his lip and looked me up and down. "You're an incredibly sexy woman, Bella and I can't wait for the whole _more_ thing." He grabbed a pair of lounge pants from one of the dressers and moved close to me. "I'll see you in a few." He kissed my cheek, smacked my ass and headed into the kitchen. I could hear him talking to the dogs as I moved into the bathroom with my bag.

Freshly brushed, I changed back into my yoga pants, but decided to leave the cami on. I stumbled into the kitchen to the delight of the dogs as they surrounded me on my journey.

"Hi little babies." I leaned over to pet them and followed them into the kitchen.

"Looks like they found you." Edward said while mixing batter. "I like that top, a lot." He kept glancing at my chest while he poured the batter into the waffle iron.

"What can I do to help?" I offered.

"Well, you can come over here." He motioned me over and wrapped his arms around me. He tipped my face up so he could give me a kiss. It turned hot pretty fast and his hands began to wander over the back of my body. I was starting to get into it when he pushed me away slightly to put the waffle onto a plate. He handed it to me and pushed me to the stool on the other side of the counter.

"Coffee?" He handed me a mug when I nodded and sat next to me with his own plate of food. He kept glancing at me while we ate, well mostly at my boobs.

"Do I need to cover them up?"

"Hmmm…please don't. I'll be good, scouts honor. I'm just trying to commit then to memory." He made no apologies and it made me feel good about myself. We ate in silence other than the dogs flitting in and out of their doggie door.

"What are your plans for today?" I asked.

"Nothing really. I thought maybe we could hang out, if that's okay with you?"

"I can hang for a few hours. I will need to get home at some point to wind down for work. "

His answering smile was all I needed. I cleared our plates while Edward ran around in the back yard with the dogs. The dogs almost tripped him up a few times, making me laugh. He must have heard me because he came barreling into the kitchen and placed his arms around my waist.

"You could have left the mess for me, I don't mind cleaning up." He said while skimming his nose up and down my neck.

"It's only fair since you cooked. I'm a shares the chores kind of girls." I turned the water off but didn't want to move away from him. "That feels nice, Edward."

"Yeah? You like to be nuzzled?" He ran his tongue up my neck making me groan. I leaned further against him and his hands came up to caress under my breasts while his tongue circled my ear. I turned my head so I could reach his lips, not wanting his hands to stop. Just as he made the move to actually grab my breast, the door between his garage and the house opened.

"Honey, we're home!" A female voice shouted as his hands dropped and I made to move away from him. "Oh Shit, we're so sorry Edward. We'll be out in the garage."

"That's Tia. She and Siobhan work for me. Come on, let me introduce you." He grabbed my hand and led me into the garage where the two women were huddled over by a desk.

"This is Bella." They both turned to look me over.

"I'm Tia and this is Siobhan." She explained tossing her long dark braid over her shoulder. I couldn't help but notice how beautiful they both were. Siobhan leaned over to shake my hand.

"We've heard a lot about you Bella. It's nice to finally meet you. Sorry about the cock block in there."

"It's fine." I felt a little uncomfortable and turned to go back into the house.

"Tia and Siobhan just finished attending a small convention in Florida. They're tuned into the gay and lesbian market for me and always bring back ideas for stock." Edward explained. I wasn't sure what to say to that, so I didn't say anything.

"I'll just be inside. Nice to meet you." I went back into the house and headed to Edward's bedroom for my tee. I didn't want to lounge around in a skimpy top if other people were going to be coming into his house. Just as I pulled my shirt on, Edward came into the room.

"I missed you changing, damn!" He came over and wrapped me in his arms again." Now where were we?" He stuck his tongue in my ear and I giggled.

"You were about to cop a feel, but you lost your chance."

"Not fair, besides I'm pretty sure you're hanging out for a little bit so I will have another shot at those." He pointed at my boobs. "I'm gonna toss on some clothes, are you staying or going?" He made to remove his pants and I turned to go.

"I'll meet you out back. I'm going to play with your kids." Tia was out back throwing a ball for the dogs when I got out there. She apologized again for interrupting us, but I waved her off.

"I promise we won't barge in anymore, he just hasn't needed his privacy since I've been working here." She explained.

That piqued my interest but Edward came to get me before I could ask her anything about it.

"Want to watch a movie?" He wiggled his eyebrows at me.

"Of course I do. Lead the way." I smacked his ass and we went back to the couch. We had the movie on for about ten minutes before we were kissing again. I moved to lie down on my side with my back against the couch so Edward could lie against me. I was moving my hands up and down his back and arching into him, hoping he'd take the hint. It didn't take him long to pick up on my cue because his hand was skimming under my shirt pretty quick.

"Is this ok?" He asked.

"Yes" I arched into him and moved his hand onto my left breast. We both moaned at the contact and he deepened the kiss. Pretty soon my hands were on his ass and I was grinding into his hips. I could feel his cock up against me. He had his other hand under my shirt but on my back holding me against him. I was on sensory overload and wanted more.

I had just gotten a hand under his shirt when something small landed up against him and pushed us both onto the floor. I gasped in surprise then burst out laughing.

"I guess the dogs wanted the couch." Edward said, pulling me up with him. "I'm going to have to teach them not to push us off, since I plan on having you on my couch again very soon."

"I should go anyway. Let me gather my stuff and we can head out." I headed to his room noticing the bulge he was adjusting in his jeans on the way.

The drive to my house was quiet but not uncomfortable. When he pulled into the driveway, Edward pulled me to him for a kiss.

"Can we do something during the week?"

"Of course we can, Edward!" I kissed him back and got out of the car. "Call me when you know what day works for you." I blew him a kiss over my shoulder and went into the house.

**A/N: Love it? Hate it? Please review**


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N: If you've reviewed, I've responded. If FF screwed up and I didn't get your review, I apologize for not getting back to you. Thanks to my Fab BETA Linds! **

**If you've read anything else I've written you know I write things based on my real life. Don't hesitate to ask what's real or not-I don't mind in the least. **

**Thanks to everyone that put this story on alert! I'm flattered you'd want me in your inbox -really! **

**Beyond the Sea**

**Somewhere beyond the sea  
somewhere waiting for me  
my lover stands on golden sands  
and watches the ships that go sailing'**

_**Chapter 28**_

Once I was settled in my room after Edward dropped me off, I had to pull out my vibe for a little one on one action. He had gotten me so riled up in a nice way and I needed the release. Surprisingly it didn't take long. I took a shower and emptied my overnight bag before heading to the kitchen to see what I needed to get at the grocery store. While making my list, I got a text from Edward.

_Thanks for everything, Bella. I had a great time with you and I look forward to more fun-E_

_You're welcome; I expect more FUN too-B_

_What are you doing?-E_

_Getting ready to grocery shop, you?-B_

_Getting ready to take care of business, KWIM-the vision of you in that lace top should work nicely-E_

_You're using my tits as a visual?-B_

_Your covered tits, yes. My imagination is great so I'm headed to shower-E_

_FYI: I took care of business as soon as I was in my room-B_

_?REALLY?_

_Yes _

He didn't respond back so I grabbed my keys and headed to the store. I texted Tanya in case she needed anything and added her items to my cart as I went along. I got home and unloaded the bags from the car, put everything away and then decided to just veg in front of the TV.

As the evening wore on, Edward and I texted back and forth. He even sent me a picture of the dogs. I decided to save it as my wallpaper.

Monday and Tuesday Edward and I continued our texts. Some were dirty enough to make me break out my vibe again. We had decided on Wednesday for dinner and I hurried home from work as Edward was picking me up in an hour. I had just tossed my hair up in a clip when there was a knock on my door. It was Edward again.

"I didn't know Tanya was even home yet." I commented, leaning up to kiss him.

"We came in together. That's ok, right?"

"It's great, but you don't have to knock on my door. Just walk right in."

"Are you sure?"

"I wouldn't say it if I wasn't sure. Now feed me, Seymour."

He laughed and grabbed me into a big hug and kiss before releasing me. "Do you have everything?" I nodded so he pulled me out the door.

"Bye Tanya!" I yelled as we left the house.

Dinner was fantastic and afterwards we went back to Edwards for another hot and steamy make out session on the couch. He had just put his hands under my shirt when I sat up, took my shirt off and tossed it over the back of the couch.

Edward's hands skimmed up my stomach until he was running his thumbs lightly over my bra covered nipples. They immediately perked up for him, so he did it again, adding a little more pressure. He leaned over and ran his tongue over the top of my breasts that were visible and I moaned. I placed my hands on the hem of his shirt and pushed it up and over his head. As soon as his lips were free, he went back to nipping and sucking along my collar bone and over the tops of my breasts again.

"Bella, can I take your bra off?" He mumbled into my neck. I nodded eagerly, so he moved his hands to my back to undo the clasp. It didn't take long for his lips to be sucking a nipple into his mouth while his hands worked my breasts. I arched into him for easier access, moving my hands up and down his bare back.

"That feels amazing." I was able to get out before he moved his mouth the other side. I was grinding up against his hard cock and thinking he might make me come like this when the dogs came over and started licking my face. We immediately pulled away from each other laughing.

"Why are your dogs such cock blockers?" I asked wiping my face.

"I'm really going to have to teach these two some manners." He pointed to the floor and they sat right at the edge of the couch.

"Its fine Edward, I should get going anyway." He handed me my bra and sighed. "What?" I asked.

"I like them uncovered." He said shrugging and I laughed.

"Next time." I promised with a kiss to his cheek. "Now, where did I toss my shirt?"

"I'll grab it, mine's next to it." As soon as he got up, the dogs were hot on his heels.

"Did they look how you pictured them?" I was curious about how he thought they'd be.

"Better and now I have perfect stroking material." The dogs were back staring at me.

"You'd think they didn't get any attention." I commented.

"They're greedy whores, what can I say? They're also not used to someone hanging out in my house versus the garage."

I decided his comment opened the door, so I went through it."You've never had a girl in here?"

"A girl? No. A few woman, yes." He smiled, handing me my shirt. "But they've never spent the night or even as much time here as you have. And no one has ever treated the kids as well as you do"

The thought of that made me smile as I pulled my shirt on. "Ready?"

"Just let me grab my keys out of the kitchen."

I tried to make my hair look less like we'd been going at it like teenagers while he was gone. When he came out of the kitchen, I pet the dogs' bye and met him at the front door. The drive home seemed too short, but we held hands the whole time.

I gave him a searing goodnight kiss in the driveway and strutted into the house to yet again, take care of business. That man revved my engine.

**A/N: Love it? Hate it? Please review**


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N: If you've reviewed, I've responded. If FF screwed up and I didn't get your review, I apologize for not getting back to you. Thanks to my Fab BETA Linds! **

**If you've read anything else I've written you know I write things based on my real life. Don't hesitate to ask what's real or not-I don't mind in the least. **

**Thanks to everyone that put this story on alert! I'm flattered you'd want me in your inbox -really! **

**Beyond the Sea**

**Somewhere beyond the sea  
somewhere waiting for me  
my lover stands on golden sands  
and watches the ships that go sailing'**

_**Chapter 29**_

On Thursday I woke up to the dirtiest email from Edward that made me almost late for work because I had to get myself off. At the rate I was going, I would need to replace my batteries every few days. That man had me hot and bothered to the extreme and all we'd done so far was get to second base!

We continued to tease each other via text messages throughout the day that culminated in phone sex. It was something I'd never done before and it was fantastic. We both laughed about it as we live so close together, but hadn't gotten that far physically yet.

On Friday morning, Edward called and we made plans for a dinner in at my house with Tanya and Alec. They'd been dating pretty steady too and she was almost never home anymore. Instead of going straight home from work, I veered to the store to pick up some steaks. Tanya was on beer duty and Alec and Edward were each bringing something to eat.

I got home first and was prepping the meat when Tanya got there with a case of beer and two bottles of wine.

"How much drinking do you think we need to do, Tanya?"

"Just enough, B." She winked and headed to her room to change. By the time she got back out, I had the steaks marinating on the counter and a beer in my hand.

"How are things going with you and Alec?"

"I really like him and the sex is great! What about you and Edward?"

"We get along well, but I wouldn't know about the sex, yet. We've only been topless. I can tell you that he gets my motor running so much that I will probably need to replace my vibe! " I shrugged and went to start the grill hearing Tanya laugh behind me.

"It's a good thing he sells them than huh? Someone's here!" I watched her flounce out of the kitchen. She returned pretty quickly with both Edward and Alec. Edward came directly out to me.

"Hi baby." He kissed my temple.

"Baby?" I smiled at the nickname.

"It just came out." He shrugged it off.

"It's fine." I leaned up to kiss his lips. "What'd you bring?"

"Chips and salsa and Alec brought some veggies we can grill. Need any help out here?"

"I'm pretty sure I can light a grill, but I thank you for the offer." I poked him, lit the grill and went to help cut up veggies.

The evening went smooth culminating in me and Tanya dominating the boys in darts and pool. They both pouted for a bit about that.

Before I knew it, I was walking Edward out. He invited me to spend the night, but I wanted to run in the morning. I did promise to be at his house after, though. I gave him a thorough kissing session that included a little bit of feeling up. He gallantly offered to let my hands wander down his pants, but I declined since we were in the driveway.

He texted me as soon as he got home to see if he, Penn and Teller could join me for my run. I texted back fine and we settled on a time.

The next morning, I was up with an hour to spare before Edward came over, so I decided to take care of business again. He and I would need to seal the deal soon because daily masturbation was for the birds when you had a boyfriend.

I grabbed my favorite vibe out of my goodie drawer. It was a bullet style that I used on my clit. It was pretty powerful and gave me good orgasms. I smashed my pillows around and got comfortable without anything covering me. Usually I watched porn on my laptop or TV while doing this, but Edward had given me plenty of material this week.

I started out slowly, with a little lube and just my fingers, makings slow circles around my clit. It didn't take long for my body to respond to my ministrations, so I turned on my vibe and touched it to my clit. The feeling made me groan. I could feel my body tensing and following the vibrations as I pressed the vibe a little harder. I circled it every once in awhile to get a different feeling. I could already tell it wasn't going to take me long.

I was so into it that I didn't hear my door open or notice anyone in my room until I heard a gasp. I immediately stopped, but Edward was at my side in seconds, putting his hand over mine on the vibe and pressing it back to my clit.

"For fuck's sake, Bella. Don't stop." He leaned in and gave me a scorching kiss, plucking a nipple with the hand that wasn't helping me get myself off. He moved onto the bed with me, his lips tracing a path from my mouth down my neck and onto my left breast. I arched my back, forcing my breast further into his mouth, he moaned against my skin, lifting his mouth up to blow across my nipple. The feelings were so intense. His mouth, his hands, it was all encompassing. He kneaded and licked at my breasts, pulling my nipples until they almost hurt. The entire time he had his hand over mine, helping my vibe rub across my clit, but letting me lead.

I screamed his name as I came, shaking from the force of it. He moved his hand off my vibe, slowing down his mouth on my tits and finally ending with a kiss on my lips. He pressed his forehead to mine, breathing in deeply.

"That was the hottest thing ever, and I might regret the fact that I didn't watch you long enough. But now I have some really great material to get off to. "

"That was pretty insane, Edward. " I commented reaching for my sheet to cover up but Edward was having no part of that.

"Let me look at you, Bella, I've been fantasizing about your body for years. "

I allowed him to move the sheet back off me and closed my eyes so I wouldn't watch him peruse my body. I felt his hands run over my legs from my calves up my thighs, pushing my legs apart so he could see my pussy.

"Fuck..." he moaned low, running his hands through the small patch of pubic hair I had. "So much better than I imagined, Bella." He ran his tongue up my rib cage as he caressed my sides. "I can't wait to have more time to do this, but the dogs are in your back yard."

He kissed me again, and helped me out of my bed. I noticed his dick was hard, so I ran my hands over it.

"I can help you with this later," I promised.

He groaned, but let me stroke his dick through his shorts a couple of times before taking my hands in his.

"Nothing would make me happier, baby." He kissed my forehead and headed out my door. "I'll be out back, let me know when you're ready to go."

I watched him leave the room and didn't even feel embarrassed. I think I actually felt empowered. That was one of the best orgasms I had ever experienced. I got dressed and met Edward and the dogs in the back yard.

"Let's go." We loaded the dogs back into his car and went to the park. We didn't end up running, but we did stroll hand in hand with each of us leading a dog.

It almost felt as if we'd been doing it for years.

**A/N: Love it? Hate it? Please review**


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N: If you've reviewed, I've responded. If FF screwed up and I didn't get your review, I apologize for not getting back to you. Thanks to my Fab BETA Linds! **

**If you've read anything else I've written you know I write things based on my real life. Don't hesitate to ask what's real or not-I don't mind in the least. **

**Thanks to everyone that put this story on alert! I'm flattered you'd want me in your inbox -really! **

**Beyond the Sea**

**Somewhere beyond the sea  
somewhere waiting for me  
my lover stands on golden sands  
and watches the ships that go sailing'**

_**Chapter 30**_

Edward dropped me back at my house with a searing kiss and a threat that I'd better be at his house soon.

I skipped into the kitchen barreling into Alec along the way.

"Careful Bella, don't knock me over" He steadied.

"Sorry. Where's Tiny T?" I grabbed water.

"Sleeping, I wore her out." He wiggled an eyebrow at me as I smacked him.

"It's like Fight Club; you're not supposed to talk about it." I made a face as I heard Tanya down the hall.

"No dig to your sexual prowess or anything, but I like to sleep in on the weekend, Alec." She said, entering the kitchen and kissing him good morning.

"I see how it is. I've gotta go, walk me out?" Tanya grabbed his hand to walk him out and I headed to take a shower.

I packed an overnight bag and put on some comfy clothes. I decided to bring my bathing suit as well. From the time Edward had dropped me off until I was ready to leave my house again was just under an hour. I had a happy heart when I pulled into the space Edward left me in his driveway.

As I was reaching into the passenger seat for my bag, I was accosted at the ankles by Penn and Teller.

"Hi babies." I greeted them each with a kiss on their head, grabbed my bag and locked my car. Edward was on the front step watching me.

"Is that an overnight bag in your hands, Bella?"

"I brought my bathing suit." I watched his smile fall, so I let him know I did have clothes for tomorrow in there as well.

"Good, want to swim now?" He offered.

"Let's eat and see what happens after that." I winked and walked into the house. Edward grabbed my bag from my hand and headed to his room to drop it off while I went into the kitchen.

"Are sandwiches ok?" I yelled down the hall.

"Fine." He sounded further away than the bedroom, but I ignored it until he came up behind me from the backyard, circling his arms around my waist and scaring the shit out of me.

"Fuck, Edward! Don't do that to me!" I tried to calm my racing heart, and smacked his arm.

"Couldn't resist. Forgive me?" He gave me puppy dog eyes and I laughed.

"This time, only. Here, let's eat so we can swim with the puppies." The dogs obviously know the word 'swim' with how they acted while we ate. They kept running in and out of their doggie door and in between our legs.

"I'll clear the dishes, you get ready to swim. Towels are in the linen cabinet outside my room. You can go out back through there if you want, the door is open." He kissed my temple and got up carrying the dishes to the sink.

The dogs followed me into Edward's room and sat on their bed while I changed into my bikini. I grabbed two towels and headed into the backyard with the dogs almost tripping me in their excitement. I put the towels down and sprayed sun block all over me before opening the gate to the pool. I barely had time to prop it open before I heard two big splashes.

"I told you they loved to swim." Edward commented from the kitchen door. "I'll be out in a minute, I just have to change."

"See you then!" I yelled and dove in to the pool. The dogs swam up to me immediately and we did laps together. I was leading them to the steps to rest when Edward cannonballed in.

He and I swam with the dogs for about thirty minutes before he insisted on getting out so the dogs would get out.

"If we don't give them a break, they won't do it on their own." He explained. He helped me out of the pool and closed the gate behind us. He straddled a lounger, pulling me down with him. "Have I told you how very much I like this red bathing suit on you?" He asked nuzzling my neck.

I turned to capture his lips and we made out for awhile while the dogs soaked up the sun. "Should we move this inside?" I asked untying the string at my neck and letting my top fall down. Edward stared at my breasts instead of answering me. "Edward….? Baby?..." I finally placed my hands over my nipples to grab his attention.

"Huh?" He looked dumbfounded.

"Did you want to move inside?" I offered, leaning in and kissing his chin.

"Yes, I do." He said in a husky voice. "Let me make sure the gate is closed properly. Meet me in my room?" He smacked my ass when I turned to enter the house. I reached around and untied the rest of my top and tossed it to him.

"See you soon." I winked and ran into the house. Edward was about two seconds behind me as I dried off. He grabbed the towel from me and walked me backwards until my legs hit his bed.

"Get those off." He demanded, pawing at my bottoms.

"Why?" I asked coyly as he dried himself off before throwing the towel into a corner.

"Because I need to be in you." He pushed me and I fell onto the bed, bouncing up. His hands were on my bathing suit bottoms. He yanked them off deftly, pushing me further up the bed. He was instantly on top of me kneading my breasts in one hand and reaching for my clit with the other.

"I've thought of nothing other than you naked and in my arms since this morning. I don't want to take my time; I feel we've been doing that for weeks. He shoved a finger into me and I gasped.

"More Edward, harder." He fingered me for a few minutes, adding another two before I was writhing. To my dismay, he removed them, but I was happy to see him leaning over to grab a condom.

He was sheathed into me in record time and we both moaned. "This isn't going to be gentle at all, Bella. I'm too turned on to focus on anything other than the goal."

I screeched in ecstasy as he set a rapid pace, slamming into me over and over. He came pretty quickly, apologizing as he pulled out and curled up against me.

"Sorry I was selfish."

I kissed his cheek."I'm an outside kinda girl anyway, so don't sweat it."

"Now I feel even worse, Bella." He got off the bed to dispose of the condom. I was sitting up when he returned to me.

"Hey, don't feel bad at all. First of all, you gave me a fuck hot orgasm this morning." He grinned, "Secondly, did you hear me complain?"

"Can I make it up to you later?"

"You'd better." We softly kissed enjoying each other.

**A/N: Love it? Hate it? Please review**


	32. Chapter 32

**A/N: If you've reviewed, I've responded. If FF screwed up and I didn't get your review, I apologize for not getting back to you. Thanks to my Fab BETA Linds! **

**If you've read anything else I've written you know I write things based on my real life. Don't hesitate to ask what's real or not-I don't mind in the least. **

**Thanks to everyone that put this story on alert! I'm flattered you'd want me in your inbox -really! **

**Beyond the Sea**

**Somewhere beyond the sea  
somewhere waiting for me  
my lover stands on golden sands  
and watches the ships that go sailing'**

_**Chapter 31**_

Post coital bliss lasted about five minutes before the dogs came running into the room and getting on the bed. I pulled the throw blanket from the foot of the bed to cover me just in time for doggie attacks.

"I'm going to have to remember to close doors behind me." Edward stated, heading for the bathroom to dispose of the condom.

"But they're so adorable!" I yelled behind me, dodging their tongues. I finally gave up and sat up to disentangle them from me as Edward returned.

"Yea, adorable until they get your boob with their tongue, and I'm not into bestiality, Bella." I laughed at the expression on his face. "Let's go watch a movie or something." He suggested.

I sighed but got out of bed, feeling Edwards eyes on me the entire time I was naked. "Did you want me to stay naked?" I offered.

"Normally the answer to that would be yes, but I haven't established the new rules to Tia and Siobhan yet." He reached into his drawer for a pair of shorts, pulling them on without any boxers.

"What rules? " I asked while yanking on my tank top.

"The 'don't come in without permission' rule." He came over to me, running his hand across my breasts. "Are you going braless, baby?"

My nipples instantly pebbled at the contact." I'm going to go commando too." I licked his earlobe and grabbed a pair of shorts out of my bag to put on.

"You're trying to kill me? Is that what this is about?" He and the dogs left the room and I could hear him mumbling about boobs and sex on his way out.

I went to the kitchen to rustle up a snack as Edward was looking through his DVD's. "Any ideas or should I just see what's on the tube?"

"TV is fine." I said as I handed him a sandwich. "Eat; I'm sure you worked up an appetite."

He smirked but didn't disagree as he patted the couch next to him and grabbed the remote. I sat and munched on some celery, but I was too busy watching Edward to see what he picked. He must have felt my eyes on him, because he turned to me and smiled.

"Did you bring enough clothing to stay until Monday morning?"

"I wasn't planning on staying, Edward. I have laundry and cleaning I need to do before work."

He shrugged and turned away from me. I couldn't take his sad face, so I pulled his chin to me and kissed his lips.

"Did you want me to go and do all that and still come and spend the night? I only need a few hours at my house. "

He smiled and kissed me hard.

"So that's settled then?"

"Yes." We sat in silence for awhile before Edward fell asleep, so I decided to play with the dogs out back. He scared me again twenty minutes later when he grabbed me by the waist and threw me over his shoulder.

"To the bed!" He yelled carrying me to his room and throwing me on his bed again. Edward pulled my clothes off with his hands while I laughed at his antics. My laughing stopped when he took off his own shorts and his cock pulsed as it hit his stomach. I leaned over and ran my fingers up and down his shaft.

"Shit that feels great, Bella." He closed his eyes and leaned his head back as I grasped him in my hand and stroked him in earnest. He let me play with him for a few minutes before he removed my hand and pushed me back onto the bed, running his hands up my legs until he got to my pussy.

"Move back just a bit, babe." He instructed running his hand lightly over my lower lips. He knelt in front of me, pulling my legs over his shoulders and pulling my ass right to the edge of the bed. I had no time to react before his mouth was licking up and down my slit.

"Fuck..." I screeched and opened my legs a little more. His finger entered me as his tongue hit my clit. He started fucking me with only one finger and nibbling on my clit. His other hand came up to pinch my nipple. "Right there..." I said as he added another finger and he increased the pressure on my clit.

I couldn't control myself and came pretty quickly. Edward backed away so I could come down. I grabbed for him and he moved closer.

"Let me repay the favor. You've given me two orgasms today and I haven't done anything for you."

"I wouldn't say you've done nothing for me, baby. But if you suck my cock, I won't last long and I really want to get in there." He said pointing at my pussy.

I laughed and scooted further up the bed." So come on, then." I crooked my finger at him in case he didn't catch what I was saying. He practically jumped on me in his hurry to cover my body with his. He leaned over me to reach into his nightstand, grabbing a condom. I took it from him, stroked him and put it on him.

I lay back down and Edward pumped his dick a few times while running it over my clit. "Quit teasing me," I shivered when he entered me. He stopped almost as soon as he entered me.

"More..." I begged and he increased his pace. Before I could catch my breath he was pounding into me and screaming my name as he came. He pulled out of me and crashed onto the bed curled up against me. "That was phenomenal." He kissed my sweaty temple.

"You're too tempting Bella, making me come so quick. But hey I got you one this time." He got up to dispose of the condom. "I think you should go shopping in the garage."

"Why?" I asked pulling my clothes back on. Edward pouted when he saw me dressed again.

"Because I have all kinds of vibes out there. You should find something that works for you. I know there are some bullets out there. If not, I can let you look through my vendors and order whatever you want."

"That's very sweet of you in a perverted kinda of way. Would you be willing to help me try out some of these new toys?" I batted my eyes and he smiled.

"Anything for you. Let's check out the fridge and decide if we want to cook or order in. We headed to the kitchen. It was domesticated feeling and I had to admit how much I liked it.

**A/N: Love it? Hate it? Please review**


	33. Chapter 33

**A/N: If you've reviewed, I've responded. If FF screwed up and I didn't get your review, I apologize for not getting back to you. Thanks to my Fab BETA Linds! **

**If you've read anything else I've written you know I write things based on my real life. Don't hesitate to ask what's real or not-I don't mind in the least. **

**Thanks to everyone that put this story on alert! I'm flattered you'd want me in your inbox -really! **

**Beyond the Sea**

**Somewhere beyond the sea  
somewhere waiting for me  
my lover stands on golden sands  
and watches the ships that go sailing'**

_**Chapter 32**_

The rest of Saturday night was filled with dog play and more sex. I couldn't remember ever feeling this comfortable naked in front of a man before.

Edward made me a cheese omelet on Sunday morning. His plan was to take the dogs for a walk then come home and work until I got there. I planned on only being away from him for a few hours, long enough to wash and dry a load of laundry.

I got to my chores as soon as I entered the house. Alec's car was there but neither he nor Tanya was around. By the time I was moving laundry into the basket so I cold fold it, Tanya had emerged from her room looking extremely satisfied.

"Oh my goodness, B. Did you get laid?!" She whisper shouted.

"How can you tell?"

"Toss up between the glow you've got going on or the big ass smile. Was it good?"

"Better, and that's all I'm saying missy." She giggled as I made my way to my room. All I had left to do was gather my stuff for tomorrow and put away my clean laundry. Tanya was still in the kitchen when I was ready to leave the house.

"Going somewhere?" She asked pointing at my bag.

"Spending the night at Edward's but I'll be home tomorrow after work. Bye!"

I got into the car and drove the ten minutes to Edward's house. He had left me a note on the door stating simply, "Get your ass in here, woman". I laughed and walked into the house.

"Edward?" I called as I headed to his room to drop off my bag. He wasn't in there, but I could hear him with the dogs out back so I went out through his balcony doors.

"There you are." He said when he spotted me. "Some guard dogs you are, letting people walk through the house." He said to the dogs. They cared more for jumping on me than his comment, though. "Come on, I pulled some stuff out of inventory for you." He grabbed my hand, kissed me hello and pulled me into the garage.

He had about eight different types of vibes out for me to look over. Edward noticed my hesitation. "Do you want me to leave you alone while you do this? Or would you rather I put them away? " He offered.

I shrugged, and he pulled me into a hug. "Am I being too forward with this babe? You can tell me to back off and I will."

"I've just never talked to a man about any of this before; I guess I'm a little shy about it."

"You don't have to be shy with me in any way Bella. I just want to make you feel good and if it's with a vibe, my fingers or my tongue instead of my dick, I'm okay with that."

I walked over to see what he chose for me. They were all standard bullet or clit style vibes. Some had more power than others. One even had a plug instead of batteries.

"Have you ever used anything like this before?" I asked lifting the one with the cord.

"I will freely admit that I get all my vibe information from Siobhan and Tia."

"Should I wait and ask them?"

"Would that make you more comfortable?" He offered.

"In a way, plus then I could surprise you since they do most of the inventory anyway."

"One of them will be in each day this week, let me know when you want to come over and you can accost them while I make us dinner. Deal?"

"Deal." I sealed it with a kiss and we went back to the kitchen to look through take out menus. We decided on Chinese and settled in front of the TV. I fell asleep soon after we got comfy on the couch and only woke up when Edward carried me into the bed.

Edward already had the coffee going when I got up the next morning so I headed straight to his shower. He had the type of shower heads that felt like it was raining. I decided to steal it and bring it to my house.

"Did you want breakfast before you go?" Edward offered as I was getting dressed.

"Thanks, but nothing heavy just toast or a muffin is fine. I usually grab a pop tart." I packed my bag up and met him in the kitchen, grabbing coffee and sitting down to eat the toast he made for me.

"You're so good to me." I told him while pinching his cheeks. "What day would you like me to come over for dinner and vibe talk? You're schedule seems to be more erratic."

"Probably Wednesday or Thursday but I'll let you know for sure later today." He walked me to the door and gave me a good bye kiss.

"Have a good day at work, dear." He said and patted my ass.

I laughed, kissed him for a few more minutes, and then got in my car and headed to work. I almost felt sad to leave.

**A/N: Love it? Hate it? Please review**


	34. Chapter 34

**A/N: If you've reviewed, I've responded. If FF screwed up and I didn't get your review, I apologize for not getting back to you. Thanks to my Fab BETA Linds! **

**If you've read anything else I've written you know I write things based on my real life. Don't hesitate to ask what's real or not-I don't mind in the least. **

**Thanks to everyone that put this story on alert! I'm flattered you'd want me in your inbox -really! **

**Beyond the Sea**

**Somewhere beyond the sea  
somewhere waiting for me  
my lover stands on golden sands  
and watches the ships that go sailing'**

_**Chapter 33**_

True to his word, Edward left me a message about Thursday night. He even asked if I wanted to stay through the weekend. I would need to consider that before I told him yes or no. I wasn't sure if I was ready to spend that much time with him.

I texted him a quick Thursday=AOK and got back to work. Mondays are usually busy as we have new classes starting up every two weeks. This is a good thing as it makes the day fly by. Before I knew it, I was headed home to get ready to run.

I ran harder than I had been as I've allowed my Edward time to cut into my exercise time. I was going to have to work my schedule better. There was no reason I couldn't get to his house an hour later than I have been. Plus I need to run it helped me with my anxiety and stress levels.

Thursday came fast and I admit I was a little nervous to talk to one of the girls about vibes. I'm sure it's just because I don't really know them, I barely opened up to Tanya about them.

Tia met me in Edward's driveway to pull me into the garage.

"We want to do this without him interrupting." She whispered, but he saw us and came out to the garage.

"Did you think I wouldn't know she was here, Tia? Hi baby." We kissed hello. "I'll leave you girls to it. Tia, she can take whatever she wants and be nice." He shut the door behind him and left Tia and me alone.

"First things first, Bella. Are you strictly an outside girl or can you O with penetration that isn't a dick?" She demanded.

"Wow, just jumping right in, huh?" I took a deep breath to calm down.

"Sorry, I've been in this business for a long time, so being shy isn't in my vocabulary anymore. I can tell you that Siobhan is strictly an outside girl too. I'm mostly an outside girl, but inside works on rare occasions." She offered.

"I've never been able to O from penetration. Does that help?"

Tia nodded and grabbed a few items from the drawer of her desk. She showed me various bullet styles and what's known as pocket rockets. "Both are for outside only, but the rockets are much more powerful." She explained. "Then you have the magic vibe style, these are really powerful." She reached for the one that looked like a Qtip on one end. "These take batteries or can plug in. If you like the power, I would grab a rocket and a magic wand style vibe."

I picked up each option and turned them on, running them across my palm to gauge their power. The small bullet styles felt pretty smooth, but there was almost no vibration from them, so I handed them back to Tia with a no. I then played with the rocket style. It had little nubs on the end of it to bring a different feel and it was pretty powerful, so that went into the yes pile. The magic wands were a bit too powerful, but the one that took batteries was weaker than the one that plugged in, so I chose that one.

"Can I decide at a later date on the other one?" I asked.

"Of course you can. If this wand is too powerful, the corded one will be too. Let me grab you a bag for these two and you can lock them in your trunk. Or are you going to use them tonight?" She wiggled an eyebrow at me.

"I can just put them in my overnight bag." I grabbed them and tossed them in there.

"Or you can leave them out and drive him nuts with your choices but don't let him use them on you. Tell him you want to try them on your own first." She smiled deviously.

"You're a very mean girl, Tia."

She winked and I left her to her work. Edward wasn't in the kitchen when I came back through the house, so I went straight to his room to drop off my stuff. I decided to change into my suit and do laps since I didn't get a chance to run. Once I hit the backyard, I found Edward playing in the pool with the dogs. I jumped in to join them, being grabbed in the process.

After a few deep kisses I was released at the mouth only. Edward was nudging his hips against me and I could feel his hard on through his suit. "What brought this on?" I asked, rubbing my thigh against it.

He hissed before answering me. "You in a bathing suit, you picking out vibes, you spending the night. It's a combination of things. I guess I'm easy." He shrugged but continued to rub his dick against me. "I really want to fuck you in the pool, B. Will you let me do that?"

"No sex without a condom, first of all. Secondly, sex in the water isn't that comfortable for the girl." I lightly ran my fingers up and down his length.

"Wear out the dogs a little for me, I'll be right back." He jumped out of the pool and ran into his room. I giggled but swam laps with the dogs while he was gone.

"Penn, Teller, here puppies." He called them out of the pool and gave them some kind of goody, because they ran to their respective corners of the yard to gnaw on something. Then he strode over to the garage and yelled something to Tia. I heard her laugh, and the door close. He was back in the pool with me in seconds. He placed a condom, a tube of lube and a small tin of something on the side of the pool and motioned me over to him on the steps.

"This is a condom." He picked it up to show me and smirked. "This is waterproof lube" He showed me that as well. "This is the one of the best inventions ever." He grabbed the small tin and opened it to show me a blue powder type substance.

"What is it?" I was curious.

"This is called Treasures of the Sea. It's made by Kama Sutra products and it's designed for water. It will keep you lubed up and the sex won't burn."

"Interesting." I pulled my bottoms off, sat on the step and opened my legs. "What's first?"

Edward stared at my pussy for a few blinks before he shook his head and grabbed the powder, dumping some into the pool. "Since this is a salt water pool, it will work. It works in the tub too, in case you were wondering."

"It feels soft in the water." I ran my hands through the area in front of us that was now covered in blue powder. I saw him grab the lube in one hand while his other started to rub up and down my slit. I opened my legs further for him. He squeezed lube into his hand and ran that over me a few times to wet me, even putting his fingers inside while I squirmed and panted.

I reached out to stroke his dick and push his suit down and he kicked it off. I grabbed the lube from him and coated his dick with it. He leaned into me and I moved closer to the edge of the step since he was standing. He pushed into me and we both moaned. The friction was great and I could actually feel the powder running over us where we were joined. The surprise came when he pulled my new pocket vibe out of somewhere and started running that over my clit.

"Waterproof." He smiled, moving the toy harder against me. "Take over you know how you like it." He moved both his hands to my hips and I grabbed the vibe and used it. It didn't take long to get me to screaming his name. He kept thrusting into me as I put the vibe down on the side and grabbed his hips to move harder with him. He came a few minutes behind me, panting my name.

We stayed connected as our bodies calmed down. Edward moved his forehead to mine so he could look into my eyes.

"I love you, Bella. I thought you should know that." I must have had a shocked look on my face because he kept on speaking. "I think I fell in love with you in Israel on our deployment. I know back then had we been single, I would have tried hooking up with you and even transferred to be closer to you."

I pulled him closer to me so that there wasn't any air in between us. "I love you too." He reached up to turn my face to his so we cold kiss. We got out of the pool and Edward wrapped me in a towel before pulling one over him.

We headed into his room and I hopped into the shower while He threw on some shorts and went to start dinner. All in all it was a good afternoon.

**A/N: Love it? Hate it? Please review**

**Treasures of the Sea is a REAL item from the Kama Sutra Products. I can't vouch for if it works in a pool at all, but I CAN tell you it works great in a Jacuzzi tub. In case you were wondering. **


	35. Chapter 35

**A/N: Thanks to my Fab BETA Linds for all of her insight and revisions.**

**Thanks to each and every person that read and/or reviewed this story**

**Beyond the Sea**

**Somewhere beyond the sea  
somewhere waiting for me  
my lover stands on golden sands  
and watches the ships that go sailing'**

_**Epilogue**_

I found over the course of the next few weeks that I was spending way more time at Edward's house than at my own. It was just easier for us as he had the dogs and won't leave them alone overnight. I offered to let them stay with us at my house, but without their normal routine, Edward was afraid they'd get into things. He did bring them over to visit Tanya and play in the backyard though. We would still do dinner at my house at least twice a week. We fell into a routine that even included grocery shopping together.

After five months, Edward asked me to move in with him. I didn't even hesitate to say yes. We spent the next few weekends rearranging at his house to accommodate my things. The only thing we didn't know what to do with was my bed. His was bigger, so we chose to keep it in the bedroom, but there wouldn't be enough space in the guest room for my queen size bed. We ended up making a deal with Siobhan to trade my bed for her full.

We took our time moving me in; I could tell it would be permanent. Making space in the office in his house was a chore. He had so much stuff I wasn't sure we could split the space. We went to Ikea and picked up some nice shelves with doors on them to replace the small shelves he had currently. We meshed our books as soon as we had it put together.

After two more weeks, I officially lived with Edward, Penn and Teller. They seemed to love having me around. Probably because I was a pushover for their cute faces. I took them on runs every few days and all of us would walk on Saturday mornings together, ending in the pool for a cool off. The dogs even got used to their new sleeping arrangement which was not in bed with us. We would let them play on the bed with us though.

By the end of our first year together, I couldn't have been any happier. I would join the girls once a month for a lunch or evening out. It was always nice to play catch up especially as Alec had moved in with Tanya. They came home from Vegas one weekend married. None of us could believe it, but the way they looked at each other, it made sense.

Alice and Rose settled in with their men as well. All the boys got along great together and we would try to do barbecues' with all of us together at least every few months. Our house was the preferable one when it was hot out though.

Tia and Siobhan showed me a little of what they did so now when they're gone at conventions, I can help Edward out. His strength was the website, adding items, changing prices and anything graphics related. I picked up the slack of filling the orders and would run things to the post office every few days.

Edward's goal was to have me so established with his company I could quit my job. I wasn't sure how I felt about that. I really loved teaching navigation, but I had to admit, the prospect of working from home and making my own hours was something to consider. We had a few discussions about what responsibilities I would pick up but we haven't talked about money yet. We would need to batten that down before I made any decisions. Even though we did live together, I was a self sufficient woman and I didn't want him to resent having to pay my way.

At the year and a half mark of our relationship, we had a huge blow up about my job that resulted in me staying in Tanya's guest room for a week. I let his calls go to voicemail each time and seldom answered his texts.

After a much needed kick in the ass from Tanya, I finally knew what was bothering me enough to leave him for a week. I wanted it all, I wanted the ring, the wedding, the commitment and I felt he wasn't ever going to get there.

At the end of my self- imposed exile, I received an email from Edward. I was surprised as I had finally taken a call from him and told him what was going on. When I opened it, I was blown away. It was paperwork legally declaring me a Twenty percent owner of his company. This was his way of securing my future with him. I was beyond shocked and then amazed at the gesture. This only proved he did want me for life.

I called him immediately and we went to lunch to talk. We both apologized and he yelled at me for leaving. It was a cowardly thing to do. I agreed that I needed to learn how to talk to him instead of hiding from him. He helped me pack my little bag up and took me home that afternoon. I haven't left since.

I signed the paperwork and officially became a part owner of Shameless Inc. To celebrate, Edward proposed when we got out of the pool after a midnight skinny dip. I said yes, of course.

We invited fifteen people to watch me become Isabella Swan Cullen We married in our back yard complete with dogs as ring bearer and flower girl. We topped the afternoon off with a barbecue of course. I was lucky enough to not spill any sauce on my white sundress. I can't say the same for Tia who at eight months pregnant, made a mess of herself.

We settled into a life that began years before we even knew it.

**A/N: and for the last time: Love it? Hate it? Please review**

**Thanks so much for coming on this journey with me! I loved answering all your reviews and even providing a little info on certain things**


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